The refusal by the Union defence minister, Rajnath Singh, to sign a joint communiqué at a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Qingdao, China, last week was the correct decision. The SCO failed to condemn State-sponsored terrorism and, at the same time, placated the country most guilty of that crime. The draft document referred to disturbances in Balochistan — for which Pakistan has often blamed India — but kept out New Delhi’s request for a condemnation of the Pahalgam attack in April. That the SCO should accept Islamabad’s demand without holding Pakistan accountable for its sanctuary to terrorists who target not just India but also Afghanistan and Iran reveals its hypocrisy and underscores the deep global fissures holding back the fight against extremist violence. While all countries claim to be against terrorism, far too many practise what they preach only when it is convenient, otherwise snuggling up to states that sponsor terrorism when it suits their interests. The latest SCO meeting is an example. The organisation consists of China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus. It is reasonable to assume that China, Pakistan’s all-weather friend and the most dominant member of the SCO, played a role in pushing through the version of the document that India objected to. Beijing has often aired concerns about extremism in western China and Xinjiang. Yet, terrorism in other countries does not appear to bother the world’s second-largest economy.
The planet’s biggest superpower is not much better. On the one hand, the United States of America under President Donald Trump has been cracking down on students and peaceful protesters seeking justice in Gaza, accusing them of being terrorist sympathisers. On the other hand, Mr Trump recently hosted Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, for an unprecedented lunch at the White House, conveniently ignoring the fact that the Pakistani military has for decades financed, trained and sheltered some of the world’s deadliest terror outfits. In fact, Mr Munir is on record suggesting that terrorists in Kashmir are freedom fighters. Such double standards by the world’s most powerful nations and their leaders leave the world more unsafe and terrorists — and their backers — emboldened. It also sends a message to countries like India that are victims of terrorism: at the end of the day, they are on their own.