At the SCO meeting in Qingdao on June 25, India refused to endorse a joint declaration that omitted any mention of the April 22 militant attack in Pahalgam, where gunmen killed 26 people – mostly tourists – in one of the deadliest assaults in Kashmir in recent years.
India has blamed Pakistan-based militants for the attack, which led to a brief conflict between the two South Asian neighbours before a US-brokered ceasefire took effect on May 10.
The final text of the SCO declaration did refer to militant violence in Pakistan’s Balochistan – another point of contention as Islamabad has long accused New Delhi of backing armed groups in the province.
India’s external affairs ministry said India refused to back the declaration because “one country objected” to Delhi’s request to include concerns about terrorism.
