India’s Strategic Autonomy And Leadership Highlighted At Successful SCO Summit

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit can be considered quite successful from India’s perspective. Firstly, six years after becoming a full member of the group, this was the first opportunity for India to host this important summit for the Eurasian region. The timing of the summit coincided immediately after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic visit to the United States. The structure of the SCO and its relevance in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict is another significant indication of India’s strategic autonomy. While the SCO is seen as the Eurasian NATO led by China and Russia against the Western-led group NATO, the fact that India chaired the summit immediately after the US visit showcases India’s importance in maintaining global balance. Despite China and Pakistan’s attempts to create hurdles at the summit, India’s growing stature ensured that new member countries, including Iran, expressed enthusiasm for strengthening their relations with us.

Narendra Modi’s advice to Vladimir Putin

Last year, when SCO member countries met in Samarkand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s advice to Russian President Vladimir Putin, “This is not the age of wars,” made global headlines. Although there was no such transformative statement during this year’s summit that lasted for about two and a half hours, Prime Minister Modi’s stern message to Pakistan and China on terrorism and regional integrity was evident in the joint statement issued after the summit.

criticizing terrorism emanating

While criticizing terrorism emanating from across the border, Prime Minister Modi stated clearly that terrorism should be condemned in one voice, for not only those who use it as a tool of policy but also those who provide shelter to terrorists. Highlighting terrorism as the biggest threat to global and regional peace, the Prime Minister urged SCO countries to break their silence on this crucial issue and encouraged decisive action against it. Additionally, he indirectly addressed China by leaving room for ambiguity in dealing with terrorism.

Terrorists against India

Pakistan has been sending terrorists against India for decades, and when the whole world opposes it, China becomes a barrier to any meaningful action in the United Nations. The list of beneficiaries of China’s benevolence includes Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the Mumbai attacks, his son Hafiz Talha, and another relative of Hafiz Saeed named Abdul Rahman Makki, Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Shahid Mahmood, Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist Masood Azhar, and his brother Abdul Rauf, among many others. Just last month, China blocked a proposal in the United Nations to declare the Mumbai attack suspect Sajid Mir as a “global terrorist” with a reward of 5 million US dollars. This was mentioned during Prime Minister Modi’s recent visit to the United States, where it was highlighted in the joint press conference with US President Joe Biden at the White House. Even after 15 years since the Mumbai terrorist attacks, the masterminds behind this crime have not been brought to justice. Therefore, the first and most important decision to fight terrorism is to avoid double standards and bury the illogical argument of good terrorists versus bad terrorists forever.

Modi’s emphasis on national interest

Prime Minister Modi’s emphasis on national interest was evident even in the case of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. This ambitious project of expanding the imperialistic network poses a challenge to India’s official claims over Gilgit-Baltistan and the PoK and India’s influence in the South Asian region. Prime Minister Modi made it clear while opposing this initiative that connectivity projects violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of any member country cannot be assets for this region. India stood apart from the paragraph of the New Delhi Declaration where other members expressed their support for BRI.

Terrorism emanating from Pakistan

Pakistan and China’s uneasiness with India’s firm stand was evident in the speeches of their leaders. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif appeared so agitated that he inadvertently mentioned Indian Muslims and Kashmir without using the term “minority.” The appeal against using terrorism as a political tool was also seen as an extension of this sentiment. In recent days, India has raised the issue of terrorism emanating from Pakistan on almost all international forums, and this strategy is now putting pressure on Pakistan to face support from around the world.

presence of Xi Jinping and Shahbaz Sharif

Another positive aspect of the summit was the presence of Xi Jinping and Shahbaz Sharif, which prompted Russian President Putin to thank Prime Minister Modi. Obviously, this gratitude was not just for the successful organization of the summit but also for the strength India’s support provides to his country, which has been facing difficulties due to the Ukraine conflict and has relied on India’s support as a lifeline for over a year. It was another occasion within a week when Putin appeared to be a supporter of India. On June 30, during the praise for Make in India, Putin referred to Prime Minister Modi as his friend and hailed his initiative as the foundation of a robust economy that prepares its own modern goods, services, and technologies instead of relying on foreign products. After the recent unrest in Russia, the SCO summit became the first opportunity for Putin to be present at an international event with his international counterparts. When the Wagner Group challenged his power, Putin also called his friend Prime Minister Modi on the phone.

India’s aggressive foreign policy

These remarkable changes in India’s aggressive foreign policy are a marvel that has made India a necessity for both Russia and the United States simultaneously under the guidance of Prime Minister Modi. After the Ukraine conflict and the economic sanctions imposed by European countries and the United States, Russia’s condition has weakened. In the coming days, the sword of confrontation is also hanging over NATO countries. If such a situation arises, Putin knows very well that the damage control work that Jinping cannot do, Prime Minister Modi can do because of his influence on Western countries, including the United States. On the other hand, amidst the growing alliance between China and Russia in the Indo-Pacific region, the United States is also ambitious to strengthen its relationship with India.

Prime Minister Modi’s historic message

The essence is that Prime Minister Modi’s historic message in the SCO summit is a visionary document for the entire world coming together against terrorism. This year is already an important diplomatic phase for India. In addition to the SCO, India will also host the G20 summit in September. While the priorities of both platforms are different, the truth is that India is handling these dual responsibilities with utmost care.