Pakistan has assumed the rotating chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a development that coincided with pointed remarks from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the use of terrorism as a strategic tool, according to The Times of India.
The exchange took place during the SCO summit, where Modi delivered a veiled criticism of state-sponsored terrorism without naming any country directly, the report states. The Times of India notes that Modi’s comments were widely interpreted as aimed at Pakistan, which has historically faced accusations from India of backing militant groups.
In response, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif used his platform at the summit to raise a separate bilateral issue, hitting out at India over the Indus Waters Treaty, as reported by Deccan Herald. The treaty, which governs the sharing of river waters between the two nations, has been a recurring point of tension.
The summit also produced the Bishkek Declaration, a formal outcome document that, according to Vajiram & Ravi, includes key highlights on regional cooperation and carries a message from India on terrorism. The declaration underscores the SCO’s stated commitment to combating the three evils of terrorism, separatism, and extremism, though the specifics of India’s messaging within that framework were not detailed in the available reporting.
The handover of the SCO chairmanship to Pakistan places the bloc’s agenda for the coming year under Islamabad’s stewardship. This development comes at a time when the organisation is navigating divergent interests among its members, including India, China, Russia, and the Central Asian states.
Observers will be watching whether Pakistan’s chairmanship can foster consensus on security issues, or whether the sharp exchanges seen at this summit will complicate the bloc’s cooperative agenda.
