'No double standards on terrorism': Rajnath Singh at SCO meeting
What's the story
Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday stressed that there can be no justification for terrorism and no double standards on tackling it at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. He was seated across from Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar during his speech. In his address, Singh called terrorism "one of the gravest threats to development," stressing its impact on lives, investments, and commerce.
Unified stance
Singh calls for united front against terrorism
Singh emphasized that there can be no justification for terrorism and called for a united front against those who support it.
He said, "There can be no double standards in tackling it. There can be no space for people who finance and support terrorists or provide them a safe haven."
"The entire ecosystem of terrorism should be ended strongly and collectively," Singh said.
The meeting was attended by leaders from SCO member nations to discuss regional cooperation.
Stern warning
Pakistan warned of India's stronger response
Singh's remarks come after he warned on October 15 that any further terrorist acts from Pakistan would invite a stronger response.
Speaking at the Times Network Defence Conclave in New Delhi, he said India's commitment to dialogue and peaceful dispute resolution shouldn't be mistaken for weakness.
He stressed that operations like Operation Sindoor and Balakot Airstrikes were "decisive shifts" in India's approach to rooting out terrorism at its source.
Bilateral meetings
We must dismantle entire ecosystem of terrorist financing: PM
Earlier last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also said that SCO member countries need to work together to dismantle the entire "ecosystem of terrorism."
"We must dismantle the entire ecosystem of terrorist financing, recruitment, radicalization, and safe havens," he said, adding that countries that use terrorism as an instrument of state policy and provide shelter and support to terrorists "must receive a strong message that terrorism can never be a strategic asset."