EDITORIAL: The failure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO’s) defence ministers’ summit to end with the signing of a joint communique marked a rare breakdown in consensus within a forum traditionally known for its predisposition for collective action.
The disharmony on display can be directly attributed to India’s stubborn refusal to endorse a joint declaration that omitted reference to its version of events with respect to the Pahalgam incident and its narrative on cross-border terrorism.
Ever since the Pahalgam tragedy and the stinging defeat that New Delhi was handed during Operation Sindoor, one can observe a hardening pattern of Indian intransigence, where it consistently refuses to explore any avenue for mending ties with Pakistan. This obstinacy not only continues to strain bilateral relations, it is now clearly also derailing multilateral forums, with Indian foreign policy increasingly characterised by obstructionism and an unwillingness to engage in constructive, consensus-driven diplomacy.
In fact, one could argue that such obstructionism has long predated recent events, as evidenced by the stagnation of the SAARC forum, which remains effectively paralysed due to India’s inflexible posturing.
SAARC had the potential to emerge as a dynamic forum, harnessing the collective energy and potential of South Asia; yet today, it lies dormant, crippled by the dysfunctional India-Pakistan relationship.
While one could argue that both nations share responsibility for this paralysis, India’s disproportionate influence in South Asia has allowed this bilateral dysfunction to completely hijack opportunities for regional cooperation on trade, security, economic connectivity, climate resilience and human development, leaving the entire region poorer in every dimension.
Now, the same pattern threatens to undermine more influential forums like the SCO. New Delhi must realise, however, that adopting a similarly rigid approach at the SCO – where heavyweights like Russia and China hold sway – will only serve to deepen its isolation and alienate key forum members that value consensus and pragmatic cooperation. Just days ago, India refused to sign an SCO statement condemning Israeli strikes on Iran, taking issue with Israel being termed as the aggressor, while last year Prime Minister Narendra Modi conspicuously absented himself from the organisation’s summits held in Kazakhstan and Pakistan.
New Delhi also withdrew from the group’s 2030 Economic Development Strategy over fears that it was too China-centric. It goes without saying that while such obstructionism may serve short-term political posturing to cater to a domestic audience, it risks sabotaging India’s ambitions for global leadership, as such juvenile brinkmanship is self-defeating and undermines New Delhi’s credibility on the world stage.
Insofar as the SCO communiqué is concerned, India’s inability to convince forum members to endorse its narrative on Pahalgam – failing to produce any evidence to implicate Pakistan even two months after the attack – exposes not only the hollowness of its claims, but also underscores the extreme recklessness of its subsequent actions, from the ill-conceived Operation Sindoor to the unprecedented suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty that threatens to jeopardise Pakistan’s water security and food production systems.
In this context, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent declaration that the IWT will never be restored and that waters meant for Pakistan will be diverted towards Rajasthan through new canals is highly troubling. Notwithstanding the technical feasibility of such a project, it is New Delhi’s unyielding intent on the matter that is truly alarming, as it remains bent upon weaponising water resources.
While Pakistan was able to thwart India’s designs during the SCO summit, the fact is that ultimate diplomatic victory will be measured by our ability to mobilise sustained international pressure that creates tangible costs for Indian intransigence and secures irreversible protections for the country’s water rights. Anything short of this risks severing our agricultural and economic lifelines.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025