Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh attends the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) defense ministers’ meeting in China on June 26, 2025. (Photo: REUTERS/Florence Lo)

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh criticized what he described as the selective application of counter-terrorism principles, pointing to the absence of any reference to the April 22 massacre in Pahalgam, India, which killed 26 people. He called the omission "unacceptable".

In contrast, the statement reportedly included references to incidents in Balochistan, Pakistan – an area where Islamabad has frequently accused India of interference.

“Some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of policy and provide shelter to terrorists. There should be no place for such double standards. The SCO should not hesitate to criticize such nations,” Singh said.