Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stated on Thursday that Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh declined to sign the joint communiqué at a high-level Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in China, after being denied a second chance to speak.
Speaking on Geo News’ show Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath, Asif explained that Singh was upset after not being allowed a second chance to speak as he had addressed the gathering earlier, in line with alphabetical order.
Asif, who spoke fifth at the event, said he presented Pakistan’s position with facts, including the Jaffar Express attack and the case of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav.
Meanwhile, the Indian defence minister requested the conference chairman — China — to speak again. In view of the tradition, the Chinese defence minister declined India’s request.
Frustrated by the rejection of its request, India declined to sign the joint declaration, which had been agreed upon by all participants except New Delhi, he added.
The minister said India’s latest move further isolated it on the international stage.
He maintained that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s extremist policies damaged his credibility globally.
India is promoting terrorism worldwide, Asif said, adding that New Delhi was involved in the killing of a Sikh leader in Canada as well as in terrorism in the US. Pakistan is also the victim of Indian-sponsored terrorism, he added.
Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and terrorism in Balochistan were also mentioned in the draft, said Asif.
The joint declaration is not issued if any member country refuses to sign it, the minister added.
Earlier, National Security Advisor (NSA) Lt Gen Asim Malik attended the 20th meeting of the secretaries of the Security Council of SCO Member States on Tuesday in Beijing, China.
In addition to interacting with Chinese leadership, during the visit, the NSA delivered an important speech reiterating Pakistan’s stance on the global and regional situation and contributions to peace and security, besides meetings with key leadership of SCO countries to enhance bilateral and security cooperation.
Speaking at the SCO meeting, Singh accentuated New Delhi’s concerns regarding terrorism and urged the member countries to take a principled stance on the matter, reported NDTV.
“The biggest challenges in our region are related to peace, security and trust deficit [….] India believes that reformed multilateralism can help build cooperation to prevent conflict between countries by creating mechanisms for dialogue and collaboration,” the Indian defence czar said.
‘Refrain from politicising anti-terrorism efforts’
Attending the same huddle, Defence Minister Asif pledged Islamabad’s unwavering commitment to SCO’s principles and objectives.
Expressing concern over ongoing conflicts around the world, the defence czar stressed that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was essential for achieving a shared vision of sustainable prosperity in the region.
“The international community should ensure a peaceful resolution of the long-standing unresolved conflicts of Kashmir [as such] unresolved conflicts remain a constant threat to global peace and security,” he remarked.
Touching upon the issue of terrorism, Asif termed terrorism as a common threat which needed to be dealt with collectively.
“All states should refrain from politicising joint efforts against terrorism,” the minister added.
He further stressed that it remains a common threat and must be addressed collectively. Pakistan calls on all states to desist from politicising the joint effort of the international community to fight the means of terrorism to deflect attention from their internal failures. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolute condemnation of all forms and manifestations of terrorism.
Also, Asif said that Pakistan condemned the terrorist attack in the internationally recognised disputed and illegally occupied region of IIOJK and said: “We call upon all states to hold these states to account who planned, financed and sponsored terrorist attacks such as Jaffar Express in Balochistan”.
In this regard, he urged for the peaceful settlement of disputes through dialogue, mediation, and preventive diplomacy.
Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the meeting, the minister held bilateral engagements with his counterparts from Tajikistan, Iran, Kazakhstan and China, exchanging views on shared security priorities and deepening collaboration.
