The leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Monday adopted a declaration condemning terrorism in Pakistan and India amid tense ties between the two nations that have seen allegations against each other for alleged involvement in militant attacks.
The Jaffar Express train was hijacked[1] on March 11 when Balochistan Liberation Army terrorists ambushed the Peshawar-bound train carrying 440 passengers, opening fire and taking hostages. Security forces launched a two-day operation, concluding on March 12.
On May 21, at least six people, including three students, were slain while over 40 others — mostly students — were injured after a bomb targeted a school bus[2] near Zero Point in Khuzdar on the Quetta-Karachi highway when it was on its way to drop the students at the Army Public School in Khuzdar Cantonment.
On April 22, assailants conducted an attack[3] in Pahalgam, a tourist hotspot in occupied Kashmir that draws thousands of visitors every summer. Gunmen opened fire on visitors, killing at least 26 people — all men from across India except one from Nepal — and injuring 17 others. It was the region’s deadliest attack on civilians since 2000.
In all three scenarios, both countries accused[4] the[5] other[6] of having a role in the incident. The SCO defence ministers summit in June had failed to reach a consensus[7] on a joint statement due to India’s refusal. According to The Times of India, New Delhi had refused to sign the document after it omitted a reference to the Pahalgam attack.
The SCO is a 10-nation Eurasian security and political grouping whose members include China, Russia, Pakistan, India, and Iran.
The SCO summit of leaders is currently underway in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin. China’s President Xi Jinping hosted the two-day summit of SCO leaders as well as “SCO plus”, bringing together some 20 heads of state and government, besides leaders of international organisations. It was the largest gathering of the SCO as well as the fifth time hosted by China since the bloc was formed in 2001.
The summit adopted the Tianjin Declaration, which notably said: “Member states strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22 2025.
“Member states also strongly condemned the terrorist attacks on Jaffar Express on March 11 and in Khuzdar on May 21, 2025.”
The SCO leaders expressed their “deepest sympathy and condolences” to the families of the dead and the wounded, saying that the perpetrators, organisers and sponsors of such attacks must be brought to justice.
“The member states, while reaffirming their firm commitment to the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism, stress the inadmissibility of attempts to use terrorist, separatist and extremist groups for mercenary purposes. They recognise the leading role of sovereign states and their competent authorities in countering terrorist and extremist threats.”
The leaders further adopted 24 documents to strengthen cooperation in security, economy and cultural exchanges.
They also adopted a 10-year SCO Development Strategy until 2035, which “defines the priority tasks and main directions for deepening multifaceted cooperation in the interests of ensuring peace and stability, development and prosperity in the SCO space”, read the joint statement.
Amid the US tariffs, which have roiled international markets, the SCO leaders expressed support for the multilateral trading system.
They also marked the 80th anniversary of World War II victory and of the founding of the UN, the declaration added.
‘SCO Partner’
The SCO also evolved from the “Shanghai Five” mechanism comprising China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan before Uzbekistan joined as the sixth member. Today, it included 10 member states, two observers and 14 dialogue partners across Asia, Europe and Africa.
The organisation covers approximately 24 per cent of global land area and 42pc of the world’s population, with member states accounting for roughly one-quarter of global GDP and trade increasing nearly 100-fold in two decades.
China’s trade with SCO members, observers and dialogue partners reached a record $890 billion in 2024, or 14.4pc of its total foreign trade.
At the Tianjin summit, the SCO member states decided to combine the statuses of “observer” and “dialogue partner” into a single status of “SCO Partner”.
Laos was accepted as a new “SCO Partner” at the Tianjin summit.
While the previous SCO leaders’ summit was held in Kazakhstan in July 2024, which saw 25 strategic documents — covering energy, security, finance and information security — adopted, China will pass on the SCO chairmanship to Kyrgyzstan and the next summit will be held under the slogan “25 years of the SCO: together towards sustainable peace, development and prosperity”.