India and Pakistan sparred on the issue of cross-border terrorism at a meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers on Thursday, with external affairs minister S Jaishankar urging members of the grouping to crack down on non-state actors and terror financing.
Addressing a gathering that included Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang, Jaishankar emphasised the importance of respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity of all SCO states in the context of connectivity projects.
Though Jaishankar didn’t go into specifics, India has for long opposed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) since it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Bhutto Zardari, in his speech following the opening remarks by Jaishankar, contended that terrorism shouldn’t be weaponised for “diplomatic point scoring”.
He described CPEC as a force multiplier for regional connectivity that can enable all countries to move towards full regional economic integration.
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The SCO meeting at Taj Exotica Resort in this seaside village was closely followed because of the participation of Bhutto Zardari, the first Pakistani foreign minister to travel to India in nearly 12 years. As the foreign ministers arrived at the venue on Friday morning, Jaishankar greeted all of them with a namaste, thus obviating the possibility of a handshake in the full media glare.
“While the world was engaged in facing Covid and its consequences, the menace of terrorism continues unabated. Taking our eyes off this menace would be detrimental to our security interests. We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism, and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism,” Jaishankar said in his televised opening remarks.
The “channel of finances” for terror activities must be seized and blocked without distinction.
“Members need not be reminded that combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of the SCO,” he said.
In a subsequent tweet, Jaishankar added, “We must not allow anybody – individual or state – to hide behind non-state actors.”
In his opening remarks, Jaishankar noted India’s priorities for SCO, as contained in the acronym “SECURE”, which stands for security, economic development, connectivity, unity, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and environmental protection.
He added in his tweet, “Underlined that while connectivity is key to progress, it must come with respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member states.”
In an apparent response to Jaishankar’s remarks, Bhutto Zardari said in his speech that the collective security of the people of SCO states is a joint responsibility.
“Terrorism continues to threaten global security. Let’s not get caught up in weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring,” he said.
He referred to the assassination of his mother, former premier Benazir Bhutto, by terrorists and said, “We must stop conflating non-state actors with state actors. Condemn all forms of terrorism, including state sponsored terrorism.”
Pakistan, he said, is firmly committed to be part of regional and global efforts to eradicate terrorism.
“This requires not only a comprehensive approach but also a collective approach… It requires that we let this challenge unite us to fight it rather than divide us to become its victim. Our success requires us to isolate this issue from geo-political partisanship,” he added.
Bhutto Zardari said practical and pragmatic solutions exist to counter terrorism and called for SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) to be strengthened to address growing threats to peace and security in the region.
Backing the long gestating CPEC, Bhutto Zardari said CPEC states have often lamented the lack of connectivity between themselves.
“CPEC does not only connect Pakistan to its neighbor China. CPEC offers all countries invested in the commonality of the future of this region to…connect the dots towards full regional economic integration,” he said.
In an apparent reference to India’s actions on Jammu and Kashmir, Bhutto Zardari also said unilateral measures by states in “violation of international law and [UN] Security Council resolutions run counter to the SCO objectives”.
The SCO Charter does not allow the raising of bilateral issues, and both Jaishankar and Bhutto Zardari spoke about the concerns of their countries without any direct references to India and Pakistan.
However, their remarks left no doubts about the intent of their messaging.
Jaishankar said the situation in Afghanistan remains at the center of SCO’s attention and the grouping’s efforts should be directed towards the welfare of the Afghan people.
“Our immediate priorities include providing humanitarian assistance, ensuring a truly inclusive and representative government, combating terrorism and drug trafficking and preserving the rights of women, children and minorities,” he said.
With SCO in its third decade, Jaishankar highlighted the need for reform and modernisation of the grouping to keep it relevant in a rapidly changing world.
Expressing India’s active support for this process, he noted the progress made for the admission of Iran and Belarus as full members of SCO and for recognising India’s long-standing demand to make English as the third official language of the grouping.
He said four countries would sign an MoU to be associated with SCO as dialogue partners. Though Jaishankar didn’t name the countries, officials identified them as Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Maldives and Myanmar.
Jaishankar said India has also proposed a declaration for the SCO Summit in July and thematic joint statements for cooperation in de-radicalisation, strategies, digital transformation, promotion of millets, and sustainable lifestyles to address climate change.
Bhutto Zardari said his participation in the meeting in Goa reflects the importance Pakistan attaches to SCO, which has emerged as a platform for promoting mutual understanding, security and development in a world facing geo-political flux.
He also highlighted the threat posed by the climate crisis and the grave challenges due to the situation in Afghanistan.
“The solution to our collective challenges should be collective action, not a divided reaction… We must isolate these issues from hyper-partisan geopolitics if we are to succeed,” he said.
Bhutto Zardari also lauded the role of Pakistan’s close ally China in bridging differences between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which are associated with SCO, and said this can lead to regional integration and economic opportunities.
