New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a powerful statement at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in China and called for unified global stance against terrorism, emphasising that there can be no double standards in combating terror.

Reacting to the Prime Minister’s remarks, Shubashish Banerjee, a noted diplomatic expert and Founder of the P3 Strategic Think Tank, told IANS that India’s message is clear and unwavering.

“India has always upheld a consistent philosophy against terrorism. We have never hesitated to meet such threats, eye-to-eye. With this statement, Prime Minister Modi has reaffirmed India’s firm resolve — we will chase terrorism to its last drop,” said Banerjee.

He further added, “Any country attempting to justify or shelter terrorism will be challenged in the same manner. There is no room for negotiation or tolerance when it comes to terror.”

Banerjee noted that the SCO Summit has made significant progress in aligning member nations on key issues such as security, cooperation, and regional development. However, he stressed that the foundational step toward a stable economic environment must begin with the elimination of terrorism.

“For trade, security, and prosperity to flourish, the first germ we must eliminate is terrorism,” he said.

“India calls on all countries — across Asia, Europe, and beyond — to join hands in this mission to eradicate terrorism from every corner of the world.”

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is clearly not having the best outing at the ongoing SCO Summit being held at Tianjin, the port city in China. He found himself ‘isolated and snubbed’ at the stage as PM Modi and Vladimir Putin walked past him, displaying a strong bonhomie among the two leaders.

During the 2022 summit, Sharif had an embarrassing moment during a bilateral with Russian President Vladimir Putin when he was seen struggling with his headphones. This year, he was mocked online when he came up from behind and abruptly reached out to Putin to shake his hand.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his address, said that there should not be double standards when it comes to fighting terrorism and urged all nations to unite in this fight.

PM Modi’s condemnation of Pahalgam attack came in the presence of Pak PM Shahbaz Sharif, leaving the latter red-faced.

“The member states strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April 2025. They expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the dead and the wounded. They further stated that perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of such attacks must be brought to justice,” the declaration read.

However, the biggest embarrassment for Sharif came when Chinese President Xi Jinping extended support to India in the fight against cross-border terrorism.

On Sunday, PM Modi and President Xi Jinping held talks during which the issue of cross-border terrorism came up. The Prime Minister said that both India and China are victims of terrorism and should work together to combat the issue of cross-border terrorism.

“The Prime Minister outlined his understanding very crisply and very specifically. He outlined the fact that this is a scourge that both China and India have been victims of, and India is still combating this menace, and he asked for China’s support on this particular issue,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said at a media briefing held in Tianjin after the talks.

Notably, China’s projects in Pakistan have been consistently attacked by terror outfits such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and it has been telling Pakistan to rein in on these elements and protect its projects and the staff working on them.

–IANS

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