The North News
New Delhi, September 1
The leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Monday strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror attack. However the SCO stopped short of naming Pakistan as responsible. Speaking at the 25th SCO summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called on member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to take a firm and united stance against terrorism, warning that no country or society is immune from its impact. Modi expressed gratitude for the warm welcome from Chinese President Xi Jinping and extended congratulations to Uzbekistan on its Independence Day and Kyrgyzstan on its national day.
Highlighting India’s approach to the SCO, he said it rests on three pillars — Security, Connectivity, and Opportunity. On security, Modi stressed that terrorism, separatism and extremism remain major challenges to global peace. Referring to the recent Pahalgam terror attack , he said India had long borne the “brutal pain of terrorism” and added: “This attack was not only an assault on India’s conscience but a challenge to every nation that believes in humanity.”
He urged SCO members to reject double standards on terrorism, and said India has taken the lead this year in operations against al-Qaeda and its affiliates under the SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS). Turning to connectivity, Modi pointed to projects such as the Chabahar port and the International North-South Transport Corridor, emphasising that infrastructure must respect sovereignty and territorial integrity. On opportunity, he underlined India’s efforts during its 2023 SCO presidency to promote start-ups, digital inclusion, youth empowerment and traditional medicine. He proposed the creation of a Civilisational Dialogue Forum to strengthen people-to-people ties by showcasing art, literature and heritage.
Modi also backed reforms in global institutions, saying outdated frameworks no longer reflected the aspirations of the Global South. “We cannot show the multicoloured dreams of the new generation on a black-and-white screen,” he said.
He welcomed new SCO initiatives to tackle organised crime, drug trafficking and cyber security, and invited members to join India’s reform-driven development journey.
Concluding his address, the Prime Minister congratulated Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov as the next SCO chair.
