Tianjin: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today used the high-profile platform of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin to deliver a blunt message on terrorism, directly highlighting Pakistan’s role in fueling cross-border violence. With Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif seated among the leaders, Modi invoked the recent Pahalgam terror attack where 26 civilians were brutally gunned down as a grim reminder of the human cost of state-backed extremism.
Calling terrorism “one of the gravest challenges facing humanity,” Modi said it was unacceptable that “some countries continue to openly support and shield those who carry out such barbaric acts.” Without naming Pakistan directly, his words left little ambiguity as he underscored that cross-border terrorism remains India’s foremost security concern. “The blood of innocents in Pahalgam is on the hands of those who sponsor, fund, and glorify violence,” he declared.
The Prime Minister also took the opportunity to thank India’s friends and partners within the SCO for their solidarity following the Pahalgam tragedy. Several member states had expressed strong condemnation of the attack, reinforcing India’s call for collective action against extremism. Modi urged the SCO to build mechanisms for intelligence sharing, joint counter-terrorism exercises, and stricter action against financial and ideological networks that enable terror outfits.
His remarks came at a moment of sharp diplomatic symbolism, with Pakistan’s leader in attendance. Modi’s decision to spotlight the Pahalgam attack in Sharif’s presence was widely seen as a deliberate move to expose Islamabad’s duplicity before the international community. While India has consistently accused Pakistan of harboring terrorist infrastructure, Islamabad has repeatedly denied such claims a position that grows harder to sustain in the face of mounting evidence and repeated attacks.
Beyond security concerns, Modi also linked terrorism to the broader challenges of development and regional cooperation. He stressed that sustainable peace is a prerequisite for economic growth, investment, and people-to-people exchanges in South and Central Asia. “Terrorism is not just a security threat it is an obstacle to prosperity, stability, and the very future of our youth,” Modi said, urging SCO members to “choose between cooperation and chaos.”
The intervention marked one of the sharpest moments of the summit, where discussions otherwise focused on economic cooperation, multipolarity, and security partnerships under the SCO framework. Analysts note that Modi’s intervention ensured terrorism remains firmly on the agenda, forcing the grouping to confront the uncomfortable reality that one of its members continues to be accused of nurturing extremist violence.
By raising Pahalgam at an international forum, India has both internationalized its grievance and sent a message that it will not let acts of terror be buried under diplomatic pleasantries. For Modi, the Tianjin stage was an opportunity to make clear that while India values partnerships within the SCO, it expects its members to reject terrorism unequivocally without exceptions or excuses.