SCO Meeting / Rajnath gave a piece of his mind to Pakistan sitting in front of China

SCO Meeting: In the meeting of Defense Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) going on in Qingdao city of China, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh made a blunt statement on the issue of terrorism. He clearly said that India will never spare those who shed the blood of innocents and action against terrorism will continue continuously. During this, Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif was also present, which further increased the political and diplomatic importance of this strong message.

Direct attack on terrorism, hint at Pakistan

Rajnath Singh, in his speech, made a direct hint towards Pakistan, referring to 'Operation Sindoor' and the recent Pahalgam terrorist attack. He said that "some countries use cross-border terrorism as a tool of policy and give shelter to terrorists. A platform like SCO should not hesitate to criticize these countries."

26 innocent civilians, including a Nepali citizen, were killed in the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April 2025. Rajnath Singh said that the attack was carried out by 'The Resistance Front', which is a proxy organization of Lashkar-e-Taiba. He said that the attackers targeted people on the basis of religious identity.

Emphasis on multilateralism and collective security

Rajnath Singh also said in his address that no matter how powerful a country is, it cannot fight terrorism alone. "India believes that reformed multilateralism can give rise to new mechanisms of dialogue and cooperation," he said. Quoting India's cultural thinking 'Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavantu', he said that it wishes peace and prosperity for all, not terror and radicalism.

First high-level Indian visit to China

This visit of Rajnath Singh to China is the first visit of a senior Indian minister to China after the military tension in Ladakh in May 2020. This visit is being seen as a restoration of strategic balance and diplomatic dialogue between the two countries. On his arrival in Qingdao, he was welcomed by Indian Ambassador Pradeep Kumar Rawat.

Possible bilateral talks

During the meeting, Rajnath Singh is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with Chinese Defense Minister Admiral Dong Jun and his Russian counterpart. The Defense Minister himself wrote on 'X' (former Twitter) before leaving, "I will present India's perspective for global peace and security and advocate joint efforts against terrorism."