Rajnath leads Indian delegation at SCO Defence Ministers’ meet today

India's Defence Minister led a high-level delegation to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' Meeting held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, o...

What Happened

India's Defence Minister led a high-level delegation to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' Meeting held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on April 28, 2026, under the chairmanship of the Kyrgyz Republic.
At the meeting, India articulated its counter-terrorism doctrine, emphasising that terrorism epicentres can no longer be treated as immune from targeted response, and called on the SCO to take concerted action against states that shelter, abet, or provide safe havens to terrorist groups.
The meeting resulted in a collective exchange of views on regional security threats including terrorism, extremism, transnational crime, and cybersecurity risks.
India held bilateral meetings with its Kyrgyz, Kazakh, and Belarusian counterparts on the sidelines, reinforcing bilateral defence cooperation.
The SCO forum was used to signal India's post-Operation Sindoor posture and to frame the demand for consistent multilateral enforcement against cross-border terrorism as a regional security norm.

Static Topic Bridges

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation: Structure and Purpose

The SCO is a Eurasian political and security intergovernmental organisation founded on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai. It evolved from the Shanghai Five (1996), originally comprising China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. India and Pakistan joined as full members in 2017; Iran joined in 2023. Laos became the latest member in 2025. The SCO's core objectives include promoting regional peace and stability, combating the "Three Evils" (terrorism, separatism, extremism), and fostering economic and cultural cooperation.

Secretariat: Beijing, China.
Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) Executive Committee: Tashkent, Uzbekistan — the dedicated counter-terrorism body.
Decision-making: Council of Heads of State is the supreme body; each presidency rotates among members.
2026 chair: Kyrgyz Republic (Bishkek hosts the Defence Ministers' Meeting).
Members (as of 2025): China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran; Laos (2025 addition).

Connection to this news: India's participation in the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting is a key track for raising counter-terrorism concerns at the multilateral level, particularly given that Pakistan is also a member — making direct condemnation statements institutionally significant.

India's Counter-Terrorism Doctrine Post-Operation Sindoor

Operation Sindoor (May 2025) marked a doctrinal shift in India's response to cross-border terrorism. In response to the Pahalgam terror attack (April 22, 2025), India struck nine terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan-administered territory and Punjab province. The operation established a new precedent: that India will conduct calibrated strikes on terrorist logistics and training infrastructure regardless of territory, provided the targets are non-military.

Pahalgam attack (April 22, 2025): 26 civilians killed, attributed to a Pakistan-based group.
Operation Sindoor: 9 sites targeted in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir; completed in 23 minutes.
Targets included infrastructure linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen (HuM).
India stated it did not target Pakistani military or civilian infrastructure.
Strategic significance: India struck into Punjab province — a departure from previous restraint limited to Azad Kashmir.

Connection to this news: India's statement at the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting — that terrorism epicentres are no longer immune — explicitly references the doctrinal shift demonstrated by Operation Sindoor, and attempts to convert a bilateral assertion into a multilateral norm within the SCO framework.

The "Three Evils" Framework and RATS

The SCO's foundational security concept, formalised in the 2001 Shanghai Convention, identifies three threats to regional stability: terrorism, separatism, and extremism. The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), headquartered in Tashkent, serves as the SCO's intelligence-sharing and counter-terrorism coordination mechanism. It maintains a shared database of individuals, organisations, and materials linked to the three evils, and facilitates joint counter-terrorism exercises among member states.

Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism (2001): the legal basis for SCO counter-terrorism cooperation.
RATS coordinates joint counter-terrorism exercises (e.g., Pabbi-Antiterror series).
Limitation: decisions require consensus — meaning Pakistan's membership can blunt direct condemnation of Pakistan-linked terror groups.

Connection to this news: India's demand that the SCO seek "appropriate action against those who abet, shelter, and provide safe havens to terrorists" is directed at the RATS mandate but is constrained by the consensus requirement; India's advocacy at ministerial level is an attempt to build normative pressure despite structural limitations.

SCO's Role in India's Multi-Vector Foreign Policy

India's engagement with the SCO reflects its multi-alignment foreign policy — maintaining simultaneous partnerships across competing blocs. The SCO provides India a direct institutional channel with China, Russia, and Central Asian states outside Western-led frameworks. India uses the forum to project its security concerns, advance connectivity interests in Central Asia, and resist unilateral revisionism while participating in a Eurasian security dialogue.

India joined SCO in 2017 — a significant departure from earlier reluctance to join China- and Russia-led platforms.
India has leveraged the SCO to push for TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) pipeline dialogue and Central Asian connectivity.
India boycotted the 2023 SCO heads-of-state summit over a CPEC-related declaration, demonstrating selective engagement.

Connection to this news: India's presence at the Bishkek Defence Ministers' Meeting, bilateral sideline meetings, and strong counter-terrorism statements exemplify how India uses the SCO as a platform to advance its security narrative while maintaining engagement with rival-power groupings.

Key Facts & Data

SCO founded: June 15, 2001, Shanghai.
India and Pakistan admitted as full members: June 2017.
Iran joined as full member: 2023.
Laos joined: 2025.
SCO Secretariat: Beijing, China.
RATS Executive Committee: Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
2026 SCO Chair: Kyrgyz Republic.
Meeting date: April 28, 2026, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Total SCO members (2025): 10 full members.
Bilateral meetings held: with Kyrgyz, Kazakh, and Belarusian Defence Ministers.
Operation Sindoor (May 2025): 9 terror infrastructure sites struck in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered territory; 26 civilian deaths in the triggering Pahalgam attack.