‘SCO must not hesitate to criticise countries supporting terrorism’

New Delhi: In a veiled message to Pakistan and China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the SCO nations must not hesitate to criticise countries supporting cross-border terrorism as an instrument of state policy and there must not be any “double standards” in combating terror activities.

With Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Russia’s Vladimir Putin listening, Modi, who hosted the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting of the council of heads of the member states virtually, said that “decisive action” is required to deal with terrorism and terror financing.

In a declaration released at the end of the summit, the SCO leaders vowed to take action to stop the spread of terrorism, disrupt the terror financing channels, suppress recruitment activities and the cross-border movement of terrorists.

Chairing the summit, Modi also talked about the growing importance of the SCO and added that “it is our shared responsibility to understand each other’s needs and sensitivities and resolve all challenges through better cooperation and coordination.” The remarks came amid the lingering border row between India and China.

In his opening remarks, Modi also highlighted the need for boosting connectivity but asserted that it is essential to respect the basic principles of the SCO charter, especially the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states while making such efforts.

There has been increasing global criticism of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. India has been severely critical of the BRI as the project includes the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that passes through Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir.

On Afghanistan, Prime Minister Modi said the situation there has a “direct impact on the security of all of us” and it is important to ensure that Afghan territory is not used to destabilise neighbouring countries or to encourage extremist ideologies.

The Prime Minister also touched upon the global food, fuel and fertiliser crisis, highlighted the need for reform of the SCO and welcomed Iran as the new permanent member of the SCO.

However, one of the major focus areas of his speech was combating the threat of terrorism.

“Terrorism has become a major threat to regional and global peace. Dealing with this challenge requires decisive action. Regardless of its form or manifestation, we must unite in our fight against terrorism,” he said.

“Some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of their policies, provide shelter to terrorists. SCO should not hesitate to criticise such nations. There should be no place for double standards on such serious matters,” he said.

While Pakistan has been supporting cross-border terrorism against India, China has been blocking efforts at the United Nations Security Council to designate a number of Pakistan-based terrorists in recent years.

Last month China blocked a proposal moved by the US and co-designated by India to blacklist Pakistan-based terrorist Sajid Mir under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.

The Prime Minister also strongly pitched for deeper mutual cooperation to deal with terror financing and noted that the SCO’s RATS (Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure) mechanism has played an important role in this.

The virtual summit under India’s presidency was attended by leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Iran as well.

Separately, the ‘New Delhi Declaration’ on the summit said the leaders the SCO member states are determined to continue taking active measures to eliminate the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism.

“Subject to their national laws and on the basis of consensus, the member states will seek to develop common principles and approaches to form a unified list of terrorist, separatist and extremist organizations whose activities are prohibited on the territories of the SCO member states,” it said.

The member states will also take action to disrupt the terror financing channels, suppress recruitment activities and cross-border movement of terrorists, eliminate “sleeper cells” and places used as terrorist safe havens, the declaration added.

“The member states note the inadmissibility of interference in the internal affairs of states under the pretext of countering terrorism and extremism, as well as unacceptability of using terrorist, extremist and radical groups for mercenary goals,” it said.

The statement on radicalisation said the leaders vowed to enhance cooperation in dealing with radicalisation as the spread of radical ideologies by terrorist groups and their sponsors, including on the Internet, have a negative impact on the minds of young people.

It said the member States, while strongly condemning terrorism in all its forms “committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever purpose”, stressed that terrorism should not be associated with any religion, civilisation, nationality or ethnic group.

“The member states will further develop cooperation in countering radicalisation that leads to terrorism, separatism and extremism, including by sharing experiences and best practices, in accordance with the SCO Charter,” it said.

The statement said the member states intend to make joint efforts to block and remove radical and terrorist content from the Internet and initiated necessary measures against identified individuals and entities in accordance with the domestic laws.

“The member States will continue to cooperate in countering radical ideology and propaganda by promoting ideas of peaceful coexistence of states, respect for religious and cultural diversity, social cohesion and dialogue among civilizations,” it said.

According to the New Delhi Declaration, the member states have expressed their concern about the growing threats posed by increased production, trafficking and abuse of narcotic drugs and using the proceeds of it illicit drug-trafficking as a source of funding for terrorism.

They stressed the need for a joint and balanced approach to countering trafficking of illicit drugs and their precursors, and noted the importance of implementing the international drug control conventions and other relevant legal regulatory instruments, it said.

The SCO leaders also issued a separate statement on cooperation in digital transformation.