Thu Jun 26 06:24:20 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the text followed by a rewritten version as a news article:

**Summary:**

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh refused to sign a joint statement at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting in Qingdao, China due to disagreements over the handling of terrorism in the document. Specifically, India wanted the statement to address the Pahalgam terror attack, while Pakistan and China attempted to focus on militant activities in Balochistan. Singh highlighted the Pahalgam attack, carried out by The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and emphasized India’s commitment to regional peace and security. He also underscored India’s recent Operation Sindoor, aimed at dismantling cross-border terrorist infrastructure following the Pahalgam attack. Due to the disagreement, the SCO bloc failed to issue a joint statement.

**News Article:**

**India Refuses to Sign SCO Joint Statement Over Terrorism Concerns**

**Qingdao, China – June 26, 2025** – Defence Minister Rajnath Singh declined to endorse a joint statement at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting held in Qingdao, China, today, citing discrepancies in the document’s approach to addressing terrorism.

According to sources, India objected to the statement’s failure to specifically condemn the recent Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, where 26 innocent civilians were killed by the terror group ‘The Resistance Front’ (TRF), a proxy of the UN-designated Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Singh stated that the document emphasized militant activities in Balochistan but failed to address terrorist acts happening in India.

In his address to the SCO, Singh directly referenced the April 22nd Pahalgam attack, emphasizing its brutality and the targeting of victims based on their religious identity. He reiterated India’s commitment to regional cooperation and security, emphasizing the principle of “One Earth, One Family, One Future.”

The Indian Defence Minister also highlighted India’s recent “Operation Sindoor 2025,” a successful operation aimed at dismantling cross-border terrorist infrastructure following the Pahalgam attack. This operation came as a result of India exercising its right to defend against cross-border terrorism.

Due to the unresolved disagreements on the handling of terrorism, the SCO bloc ultimately failed to issue a joint statement. The event occurred during Singh’s two-day visit to China for the SCO defence minister meeting. The impasse underscores the ongoing challenges in achieving consensus on critical security issues within the SCO framework.

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