India has right to defend against terrorism and will exercise it: EAM Jaishankar in Moscow

New Delhi: India has the right to defend its people from terrorism and will exercise it, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Moscow on Tuesday, with his counterpart in Pakistan, Ishaq Dar, also attending the conclave.

“We must never forget that the SCO was founded to combat the three evils of terrorism, separatism and extremism,” Jaishankar said at the meeting of the 10-member bloc led by China and Russia. “These threats have become even more serious in the years that have passed.”

This was Jaishankar’s first address to a plurilateral conclave after the blast near Red Fort in Delhi killed over 15 people on November 10. But, unlike the April 22 carnage in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, New Delhi did not officially blame it on Pakistan, which had been previously accused of sponsoring several terrorist attacks in India.

“It is imperative that the world display zero tolerance towards terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” the External Affairs Minister said. “There can be no justification, no looking away, and no whitewashing. As India has demonstrated, we have the right to defend our people against terrorism and will exercise it.”

After the armed men from Pakistan and the areas illegally occupied by Pakistan killed 26 people – mostly tourists – in Pahalgam in J&K, India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ early on May 7, targeting the training camps across its Line of Control (LoC) as well as the undisputed stretch of its border with its western neighbour. Pakistan responded by targeting military facilities and the civilian population in India. The cross-border flare-up came to its end with a ceasefire on May 10.

Jaishankar represented India at the annual meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government in Moscow on Tuesday. Dar represented Pakistan.

“As the organisation continues to evolve, India strongly supports its reform-oriented agenda. We welcome centres addressing challenges such as organised crime, drug trafficking, and cybersecurity threats,” the External Affairs Minister said, adding, “As the organisation becomes more diverse, the SCO must be more flexible and adaptable. To this end, the long-delayed decision to make English an official language of the SCO must be prioritised.”

Jaishankar said that the global economic situation was going through uncertainty and volatility currently, as the supply-side risks had been aggravated by demand-side complexities.

“There is consequently an urgent requirement to de-risk and diversify. This is best done by as many of us forging the widest possible economic links. For that to happen, it is essential that this process be fair, transparent and equitable,” he said.