MT Desk: The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Monday condemned the terrorist attacks in Pakistan`s Balochistan province in March and May, as well as the assault on tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). In a joint statement, the Council of Heads of Member States of the 10-member Eurasian political, economic and security bloc cautioned against double standards in the fight against terrorism and urged consensus on a global convention to counter the menace.

The SCO summit was held in the Chinese city of Tianjin under the chairmanship of President Xi Jinping. It was attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, President Vladimir Putin of Russia, President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, President Sadyr Zhaparov of Kyrgyzstan, President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India.

The leaders adopted the joint statement condemning the Jaffar Express train hijacking on March 11 in Balochistan and the bombing of a school bus in Khuzdar on May 21. It also condemned the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, a tourist hotspot in IIOJK.

The member states strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stressed that double standards in the fight against terrorism were unacceptable. They underscored the importance of adopting by consensus a comprehensive convention on international terrorism, the statement said. According to the statement, the leaders expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the deceased and the wounded, stating that perpetrators, organisers and sponsors of such attacks must be brought to justice.

While reaffirming their firm commitment to the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism, the leaders stressed "the inadmissibility of attempts to use" terrorist, separatist and extremist groups for mercenary purposes. They recognised the leading role of sovereign states and their competent authorities in countering terrorist and extremist threats and emphasised the importance of multilateral cooperation in combating terrorism and terror financing.

"Member States reaffirm their determination to continue the joint fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism, as well as against the illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors, arms smuggling and other forms of transnational organised crime," the statement said.

The joint statement said that the SCO member states vowed to step up joint efforts to prevent the spread of radical ideologies, religious intolerance and xenophobia, aggressive nationalism, and ethnic and racial discrimination.

"They adopted the Programme of Cooperation of Member States in Countering Extremist Ideology in the SCO Area for 2026-2030, aimed, inter alia, at the implementation by the participating States of the SCO Convention on Countering Extremism (Astana, 9 June 2017)," it added.

Chaos and conflicts The statement noted that geopolitical confrontation, challenges and threats to security and stability, including in the SCO region, were intensifying. The global economy, especially international commodity and financial markets, was experiencing serious turmoil.