In a veiled attack on Pakistan, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday called upon members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to fix accountability on those who aid or fund terrorism and collectively work towards eliminating the menace in all its forms.

Any kind of terrorist act or support to it in any form was a major crime against humanity and peace and prosperity could not coexist with this evil, he said addressing a meeting of the defence ministers of SCO countries here.

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Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif attended the meeting virtually while the defence ministers of China (Gen Li Shangfu); Russia (Gen Sergei Shoigu); Iran (Brig Gen Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani); Belarus (Lt Gen Khrenin VG); Kazakhstan (Col Gen Ruslan Zhaxylykov); Uzbekistan (Lt Gen Bakhodir Kurbanov); Kyrgyzstan (Lt Gen Bekbolotov Baktybek Asankalievich) and Tajikistan (Col Gen Sherali Mirzo) were physically present. The ministers discussed issues of common concern, including issues of regional and international security, under the SCO Charter during the meeting.

“If a nation shelters terrorists, it not only poses a threat to others but to itself too. Radicalisation of youth is a cause of concern not only from the point of view of security, but it is also a major obstacle in the path of socio-economic progress of society. If we want to make the SCO a stronger and more credible international organisation, our top-most priority should be to effectively deal with terrorism,” Rajnath said.

He said India envisioned a robust framework of regional cooperation which mutually respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member states by taking care of their legitimate interests. New Delhi, he said, desired to further bolster trust and cooperation among the members of the SCO as it believed in maintaining peace and security based on the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.

Sharing his insights on the vision to ensure collective prosperity, Rajnath called for concerted efforts by the SCO member states, so that the region, with limitless possibilities in today’s multilateral world, shifted to the mindset of ‘great gain from win-win paradigm’ from ‘great game of zero-sum, win-lose paradigm’.

The Indian minister also elaborated on the concept of ‘SECURE’ floated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the SCO summit in Qingdao, China in 2018. He stated that every alphabet of the word ‘SECURE’ reflected India’s commitment towards the multi-dimensional welfare of the region. (S-Security of citizens, E-Economic development for all, C-Connecting the region, U-Uniting the people, R-Respect for sovereignty and integrity, and E-Environmental protection).

He urged the SCO member countries to ensure food security under an integrated plan. This would establish the SCO as a role model for the whole world, he said. To deal with the issue of climate change, he called for working on a common strategy, giving priority to mitigation and adaptation. Energy security should be a part of the common strategy, he added.

He urged the SCO member countries to ensure food security under an integrated plan. This would establish the SCO as a role model for the whole world, he said.

The minister voiced India’s commitment towards defence capacity building of SCO member states through training and co-manufacturing & co-development of items. He stated that as security challenges were not limited to any one country, India was moving forward with a collaborative approach in the field of defence partnership, keeping in mind the shared interests.

At the end of their deliberations, the SCO member countries signed a protocol, expressing their collective will to make the region secure, peaceful and prosperous.