Rajnath Singh at SCO. (PC: Ministry of Defence)
New Delhi: The defence minister, Rajnath Singh, on Tuesday asked members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to act together against terrorism. He called it one of the gravest threats to peace and development.
Addressing the 25th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Singh said terrorism kills innocent people, disrupts trade and investment, and radicalizes societies. He said there should be “no double standards in addressing it” and no room for those who finance, support or shelter terrorists.
Singh recalled the SCO summit in Bishkek in August-September, where the prime minister, Narendra Modi, pressed for concrete steps on security, connectivity and opportunity. He said India wants the bloc to stay efficient and to hold to sovereign equality, consensus and mutual respect. More institutions, he cautioned, do not automatically mean more results. New mechanisms should meet clearly identified needs and avoid duplication.
On the economy, Singh backed the Action Plan for the Multilateral Trade and Economic Cooperation Programme for 2026–2030. He called for stronger supply chains, easier trade and investment, and wider use of technology. He also welcomed the decision to make the Universal Centre in Tashkent and the Anti-Drug Centre in Dushanbe permanent bodies, saying their value would depend on coordination and timely delivery.
Singh said India supports connectivity projects, citing the International North-South Transport Corridor and Chabahar Port as links between Central Asia and wider markets. Such projects, he said, must rest on consultation and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, or they will not last.
India has stayed out of China's Belt and Road Initiative, citing sovereignty concerns over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
He pointed to India’s digital public infrastructure, its start-up ecosystem and global initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance as examples of development led by technology. Singh invited members to the first SCO Civilizational Dialogue Forum, to be hosted by India later this year.
The heads of delegation adopted the joint communiqué, the SCO budget for 2027 and the 2026-2030 action plan. India has been a full SCO member since 2017.
