At SCO Summit, Modi sends veiled messages to Pakistan and China

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday reiterated India’s position that conflicts must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, rather than war.

Addressing the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Modi said the conflict in West Asia had demonstrated that wars and instability in one region can have consequences far beyond its borders.

“In today’s interconnected world, the scope of security has expanded even further. The crisis in West Asia has shown that conflict in one region is not confined to that region. It impacts the entire world’s energy security, maritime trade, and supply chains. Countries in the Global South bear the brunt of this,” he said.

Modi took a veiled jibe at Pakistan as he called on SCO members to dismantle the entire ecosystem that sustains terrorism, including its financing, recruitment, radicalisation and safe havens.

“We must speak in one voice that there can be no place for double standards in dealing with terrorism,” he said, amid New Delhi’s sustained efforts to hold Pakistan accountable for cross-border terrorism.

“Terrorism continues to pose a serious challenge to humanity. In our fight against it, we cannot limit ourselves to a mindset of action and reaction. We must dismantle the entire ecosystem of terrorist financing, recruitment, radicalisation and safe havens,” Modi said.

He also delivered an indirect message to China. In oblique reference to the under-construction China-Pakistan Economic Corridor that runs through certain areas of the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Modi stressed that connectivity projects must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. 

“India supports all efforts that connects markets, facilitate trade and open new avenues for development. However, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries is essential in these efforts,” he said.