On Wednesday (16th October) in SCO meeting, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar came down heavily on Pakistan while reiterating the Indian government’s firm stern that terror and talks can’t go together.
Without explicitly naming Pakistan, he slammed the Islamic nation for sponsoring terrorism, extremism and separatism against India. Taking a swipe at Pakistan without naming the country, he said, “If activities across borders are characterized by terrorism, extremism, and separatism, they are hardly likely to encourage trade, energy flows, connectivity, and people-to-people exchanges in parallel.”
He made these remarks while attending the SCO meeting in Islamabad. During his address, he stressed the importance of building cooperation based on “mutual respect and sovereign equality”.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated, making a barely concealed allusion to China and Pakistan, stating that “if trust is lacking or cooperation inadequate, if friendship has fallen short and good neighborliness is missing somewhere, there are surely reasons to introspect and causes to address.”
He underlined the significance of upholding territorial integrity and sovereignty in all collaborative endeavors. During the summit, Jaishankar emphasized that the primary goal of the SCO is to tackle terrorism, separatism, and extremism, which has become increasingly crucial in today’s world.
He asserted that the SCO requires open dialogue to develop confidence, good neighborly relations, and reaffirm their commitment to the SCO Charter. He also urged the organisation to be decisive and steadfast to these three challenges. He further asked for the SCO to take a lead in reforms under international organizations and for a UN Security Council that is diverse, open, effective, efficient, democratic, and accountable.
Jaishankar’s trip is significant as he becomes the first Indian External Affairs Minister to visit Pakistan in nine years. The previous visit was made by Sushma Swaraj, who participated in the ‘Heart of Asia’ conference on Afghanistan in Islamabad on December 8-9, 2015. Notably, Jaishankar was part of Swaraj’s delegation during that visit.
S Jaishankar briefed on X
Delivered 🇮🇳’s national statement at the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting today morning in Islamabad.
SCO needs to be able and adept at responding to challenges facing us in a turbulent world. In this context, highlighted that:
➡️ SCO’s primary goal of combatting… pic.twitter.com/oC2wHsWWHD
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) October 16, 2024