EAM urges SCO to take stand against terrorism

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) should adopt an “uncompromising” position on combating terrorism and extremism, external affairs minister S Jaishankar told a meeting of the bloc on Tuesday, hours after he met Chinese President Xi Jinping and apprised him about recent developments in bilateral ties.

- Rezaul H Laskar

Jaishankar met Xi along with other foreign ministers of the member states of SCO. The meeting was held before the foreign ministers participated in a conclave in Tianjin.

"Apprised President Xi of the recent development of our bilateral ties. Value the guidance of our leaders in that regard," Jaishankar said in a social media post, referring to his meeting with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Monday. He also conveyed the greetings of President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Xi.

Later in the day while addressing a gathering that included his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar, Jaishankar said the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack was “deliberately conducted” to undermine the tourism-based economy of Jammu & Kashmir and to create a religious divide.

He also told the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting in Tianjin that the members of the grouping face the challenge of stabilising the global order and de-risking various dimensions of it amid considerable disorder, conflicts, competition and coercion.

Jaishankar noted that SCO was founded to combat the "three evils" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, which often occur together. "It is imperative that the SCO, to remain true to its founding objectives, take an uncompromising position on this challenge," he said in a lengthy social media post on his speech.

He described the Pahalgam terror attack as a graphic example of terrorism, separatism and extremism. "It was deliberately conducted to undermine the tourism economy of Jammu and Kashmir, while sowing a religious divide," he said.