No place for double standards on terrorism: PM Modi at SCO meeting in Bishkek

The 26th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic on June 13-14, 2019, marked a significant milestone in India's multilateral diplomacy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's participation came just weeks after his re-election for a second term, underscoring the priority India attaches to this Eurasian grouping. The SCO, founded in 2001 as the Shanghai Five (comprising China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan) and later expanded, admitted India and Pakistan as full members in 2017 at the Astana Summit. Today, it represents nine member states accounting for nearly 42% of the world's population and 25% of global GDP. The historical context is crucial: India's engagement with Central Asia dates back to ancient Silk Road connections, but modern diplomatic ties were reinvigorated after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The "Connect Central Asia" policy launched in 2012 laid the groundwork for deeper cooperation. The SCO provides India a rare platform where it engages simultaneously with China, Russia, and Central Asian republics — all critical for its strategic autonomy. At Bishkek, PM Modi's forceful articulation on terrorism reflected India's consistent position since the 2008 Mumbai attacks (26/11) and subsequent cross-border incidents like Uri (2016) and Pulwama (2019). His call to dismantle the "entire ecosystem of terrorist financing, recruitment, and radicalization" aligned with India's push at the UN for a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT), first proposed in 1996. Key stakeholders include China and Russia as SCO's anchor powers, Pakistan as a fellow South Asian member (creating unique diplomatic dynamics), and the five Central Asian nations — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan — rich in energy resources and strategically located. For India, the SCO serves multiple objectives: counter-terrorism cooperation through the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) headquartered in Tashkent; energy security via projects like the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) pipeline; connectivity through the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and Chabahar Port; and balancing China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which India opposes due to sovereignty concerns over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) traversing Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Constitutionally, Article 51 of the Directive Principles of State Policy mandates the state to "promote international peace and security" and "foster respect for international law." The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967, amended in 2019 to designate individuals as terrorists, provides the domestic legal framework complementing India's international stance. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act, 2008, further empowers cross-border investigation capabilities. The broader significance lies in India's emergence as a net security provider in the Indo-Pacific and Eurasian space. The Bishkek Declaration reaffirmed commitment to the UN Charter, sovereignty, and non-interference — principles India champions. Future implications include deeper defence cooperation (joint exercises like "Peace Mission"), digital connectivity initiatives, and potential SCO expansion with Iran's accession process underway. For aspirants, this summit exemplifies how India navigates complex multipolar forums while advancing its national interests — a core theme in UPSC's International Relations syllabus (GS Paper II) and relevant across SSC, Banking, and State PSC exams.