IN a significant development, the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) adopted Tianjin Declaration, which, among other things, strongly condemned high profile terrorist incidents of the region – attacks on Jaffar Express at Khuzdar in Balochistan and in Pahalgam area of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The leaders, hosted by China, pledged deeper multilateral cooperation and concrete measures to combat terrorism and emphasized that the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of such attacks must be held accountable. SCO member states underlined that using terrorist and extremist groups for political or selfish purposes is unacceptable.
Indian diplomatic circles might be taking solace over inclusion of the Pahalgam incident in the joint declaration but overall views of the member states on the issue of terrorism is a clear message that the world is not impressed by hollow accusations and the use of force on the basis of false flag operations. This is evident from the pledge made by the summit leaders for multilateral cooperation and concrete measures to fight terrorism as against the unilateral approach as highlighted by the recent conflict between Pakistan and India. It is known to the entire world that India leveled baseless allegations against Pakistan vis-à-vis the Pahalgam terrorist attack and this was substantiated by India’s rejection of repeated offers made by Pakistan for wholehearted cooperation in a neutral probe into the tragedy. India launched aggression against Pakistan and pushed the entire region to the brink of a catastrophe but it has miserably failed to present even a shred of evidence to support its allegations. The Indian government has also ignored a host of questions raised by the (Indian) opposition and media, casting doubts on the veracity of claims made by New Delhi about different aspects of the Pahalgam attack. As against this, Pakistan has concrete evidence proving Indian involvement in the dastardly terrorist attacks on Jaffar Express train and targeting innocent school children in Khuzdar. Pakistan has shared the information and evidence with the media and the international community about these and many other Indian-sponsored terrorist acts in Balochistan. It was in the backdrop of the false nature of the Indian accusations against Pakistan and its state-sponsored terrorism in Balochistan that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made a forceful presentation of the country’s position on the issue sensitizing the world leaders that terrorism remains a serious threat to regional and global stability and warning that the international community no longer accepts those who use terrorism as a tool for political gain. In an apparent reference to the oft-repeated approach of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to use the card of terrorism to boost his political stature at home, the PM cautioned “Those who have long used terrorism to advance political interests must know the world no longer buys this fictitious narrative.” He reiterated that Pakistan possesses irrefutable evidence of foreign involvement in the Jaffar Express train hostage incident as well as numerous other terrorist attacks in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The PM also highlighted that Pakistan has rendered great sacrifices in combating terrorism — not only for its own national security but also for the stability of the region and the wider international community – a fact widely acknowledged by world leaders including those of the United States, China and the Russian Federation. As India continues to demonstrate belligerent posture towards Pakistan as is confirmed by its use of water as a weapon, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, once again, declared that Pakistan seeks normal relations with all its neighbours and prefers dialogue and diplomacy over confrontation. India should reciprocate his call for a comprehensive and structured dialogue to address all outstanding disputes if it sincerely wants lasting peace in South Asia. Hopefully, the changing regional and global scenarios will convince India to change its approach towards all the neighbours including Pakistan.
