Editorial: Strong message from Bishkek Declaration

The SCO summit’s tough stance against terrorism marks a diplomatic win for India, which has been pushing for a no-nonsense approach towards terrorist groups

The unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all its forms by the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit came as a vindication of India’s long-held position on the issue. The tone and tenor of the Declaration at the end of the summit, held at Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, reflected New Delhi’s concerns over cross-border terrorism and its implications for peace and stability in the region. The summit was attended, among others, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Shahbaz Sharif. The Declaration condemned terrorism “in all its forms and manifestations” and stated that double standards in combating terrorism, separatism and extremism were unacceptable. It called for a zero-tolerance approach towards terror networks, safe havens, and financial support. In tune with what India has been advocating for years, it said that groups defined as terrorists, separatists, or extremists cannot be used for selfish or mercenary purposes by any state or state-sponsored groups. The summit concluded that nations must work together to stop the cross-border movement of terrorists and to fight the illegal drug trades that fund terror groups. The tough messaging marked a diplomatic win for India, which has been pushing for a no-nonsense approach towards terrorist groups. Addressing the summit, Modi called upon member states to dismantle the “entire ecosystem of terrorism” — its financing, recruitment, radicalisation and safe havens — and insisted that there could be no “double standards” in how that fight is conducted. He went further, warning that states which use terrorism “as an instrument of policy” and shelter its perpetrators should be told plainly that terrorism can never be treated as a strategic asset.

Modi framed terrorism as a grave challenge to all of humanity and cautioned against a mindset that reduces counter-terrorism to mere action and reaction. Sharif, on the other hand, sought to recast his country as a victim of terrorism rather than its alleged sponsor, citing what he called Pakistan’s own sacrifices in the fight against extremism. Obviously, there would be no takers for such an argument. Islamabad must first demonstrate its commitment to dismantling the terror infrastructure and reining in the anti-India terror outfits operating on its soil. Another embarrassing moment for Pakistan came when its Prime Minister’s Office circulated a cropped version of the official summit photograph with Modi edited out. The backlash was swift, forcing Sharif’s office to quietly restore and repost the original, uncropped image on X. For a country about to assume the chairmanship of the SCO for the next two years, doctoring the one image that symbolises the group’s unity was an unacceptable mistake. The SCO, a Eurasian political, economic, and security grouping, has ten members, including Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, and the Kyrgyz Republic. India became a full member in 2017. The organisation marked 25 years at the Bishkek summit, making it one of the largest regional groupings.

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