Overview

• The SCO defence ministers’ conclave in Qingdao ended without a joint communique after Pakistan blocked any reference to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh refused to sign the draft statement in protest of the selective omission.
• The final draft included a mention of a Balochistan incident, underscoring perceived double standards in addressing cross-border terrorism.
• New Delhi’s covert Operation Sindoor against terror camps in Pakistan and PoK on May 7 demonstrated India’s zero-tolerance policy.
• Indian officials are now demanding binding accountability mechanisms within the SCO and reevaluating the forum’s utility for counter-terrorism cooperation.