Indian Defence Minister refuses to sign SCO joint declaration

BEIJING: Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed strong displeasure over the omission of the Pahalgam incident from the joint communiqué of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Conference held in Beijing.

According to Indian media, the minister was visibly upset upon reviewing the final declaration and reportedly refused to sign the document due to the absence of any mention of the incident.

The SCO meeting brought together defence chiefs from member states, but the disagreement highlighted growing diplomatic sensitivities within the forum.

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reportedly declined to sign the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) joint declaration after it failed to mention the recent Pahalgam incident, Indian media reported.

According to the same reports, the declaration also allegedly included an indirect reference to India’s role in fomenting unrest in Balochistan a point that further fueled India’s objections during the high-level meeting in Beijing.