Uncovering Pakistan: Modi rallies SCO against states that use terror as policy

BISHKEK: Turning the spotlight on the states that use terrorism as policy, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi exhorted the 10-nation SCO grouping to speak in one voice and act to dismantle the entire ecosystem of terror financing, recruitment, radicalisation and safe havens.

“We must dismantle the entire ecosystem of terrorist financing, recruitment, radicalisation, and safe havens. We must speak with one voice and make it clear that there can be no place for double standards on this serious issue,” PM Modi said at the SCO summit in Bishkek on September 1.

In a clear allusion to Pakistan, PM Modi underlined that the SCO must “send a strong message to countries that use terrorism as an instrument of policy and provide safe haven and support to terrorists that terrorism can never be a strategic asset for anyone.” the Prime Minister said. Stressing the need to ensure “peace and security” in the SCO member countries, he said that addressing terrorism could not be limited to an “action-reaction approach”.

The pointed message was aimed at Pakistan, the next chair of the SCO, which has a dubious record of perpetrating and supporting terror attacks on India, the latest being the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif tried to put on a brave front as he listened to PM Modi’s expose of double standards on terror.

The April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror spree which killed 26 civilians, mostly Hindu tourists, in Jammu and Kashmir, was allegedly masterminded by Pakistan-based terrorists in collusion with their patrons in Pakistan’s military-dominated establishment. In response to the Pahalgam terror attack, India launched cross-border aerial strikes dubbed “Operation Sindoor,” to raze terror infrastructure across the war. Islamabad had to sue for peace but has not deflected from using terror as an instrument of state policy.

Highlighting that terrorism was a grave threat to humanity, PM Modi stressed that there should be no double standards whatsoever in fight against terrorism, a pointed critique of states and groups who cloak terrorism in the guise of ideology.

The message resonated with the leaders of over 20 countries who attended the summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a 10-member grouping with 10 observer states. The Bishkek Declaration validated India’s concerns and position on cross-border terrorism, with an explicit mention of double standards. In the Bishkek Declaration SCO member states stressed “the unacceptability of attempts to use terrorist, separatist and extremist groups for personal gain.”

No War, Peace through Dialogue

The urgent need for resolving conflicts such as the US-Iran deadlock and the Russia—Ukraine war through dialogue and diplomacy figured prominently in PM Modi’s address at the SCO summit. PM Modi highlighted that there can be no solution on the battlefield and underlined the imperative of ending wars and conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy.

Alluding” to the fraught situation in the Persian Gulf, PM Modi stressed that the crisis in West Asia has affected “energy security, maritime security and supply chain[s]”, and underlined that nations of the Global South were “bearing the greatest brunt of such disruptions”. The Bishkek Declaration expressed the SCO’s “deep concern” over the events in West Asia, expressing “support for Iran’s sovereignty” and calling for a diplomatic resolution of the conflict.

Countering terrorism will be India’s abiding priority in SCO, but that’s the first S of SCO, as Modi has propounded his vision of SCO. Connectivity and Opportunity will be the other two major priorities at the SCO summit in Bishkek.

Underscoring the importance of connectivity in fostering regional prosperity, PM Modi stressed that strong and trusted connectivity initiatives were important for the group’s shared progress and prosperity. In a subtle critique of China-led Belt and Road Initiative, PM Modi stressed that India supports connectivity efforts that link markets, enhance trade and open new opportunities for development, he reiterated that such efforts should respect sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations.

Projecting a narrative of win-win prosperity in the region, PM Modi expressed India’s support for “all efforts that connect markets, facilitate trade, and open new pathways for development.”

Enhancing trade and investment and cooperation in emerging technologies will help shape a prosperous region. India will also leverage the SCO to promote interests and aspirations of the Global South, which dovetails with the agenda of the BRICS summit in New Delhi in September. In accordance with its broader strategic goals and priorities, India will enhance outreach with Central Asian nations to expand its visibility in SCO geography and to counter the China-Pakistan axis.