The strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)—with global leaders concurring with India's position that "double standards" in the fight against terrorism are unacceptable—appears to have piqued Pakistan, which tried to rake up the issue of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and terrorism on its soil to target India.
The joint declaration that was released at the end of the SCO meeting on Monday clearly aligned with India’s stance on terrorism and accountability. The member group stated that they strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, stressed that double standards in the fight against terrorism are unacceptable, and called on the international community to combat terrorism, including the cross-border movement of terrorists.
"The member states strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22," the declaration said, while also condemning the terror attacks in Khuzdar and on Jaffer Express in Pakistan's Balochistan province.
The SCO’s explicit mention of the Pahalgam attack in its declaration—although there was no mention of Pakistan—backed by major regional powers, represents a rare unified stance aligning with India’s priorities, leaving Pakistan increasingly cornered.
Pakistan has attempted to shift the focus back to the Indus Waters Treaty and even claimed that Islamabad, too, is a victim of terrorism.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country respects all international and bilateral treaties and expects similar principles to be followed by all SCO members, in an apparent reference to India, which has been asserting that the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan will remain in "abeyance" until Islamabad "credibly and irrevocably" abjures support to cross-border terrorism.
“Uninterrupted access to due share of water as per existing treaties among SCO members will strengthen the SCO working smoothly and will support the achievement of broader goals for which the SCO was established," the PM said.
He claimed that Pakistan has always abided by the UN and SCO charters and will always respect the principles that are for the collective good.
Echoing the Pakistan's military's recent claim that India is the main sponsor of terror in Balochistan, the Pakistan PM said—in what could be construed as a feeble attempt to get back at the unanimous condemnation of Pahalgam terror attack by the SCO members—those who have long used terrorism for advancing their political interests must know that the world no longer buys this fictitious narrative.
“The menace of terrorism, separatism, and extremism continues to pose a grave threat to Pakistan and endanger peace and security of the entire SCO region and the SCO family. We condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations with the fullest force at our command, including state terrorism in clear and ambiguous terms,” he said.