#SCOSummit: Modi talks on terrorism, launches veiled attack at Pakistan
At the ongoing Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a sharp attack at Pakistan, without explicitly mentioning the neighboring country. He said countries which sponsor, aide, and support terrorism, should be held accountable. The summit is being held at Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek and several world leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistan PM Imran Khan attended it. Here's more.
Witnessed ugly face of terrorism in Sri Lanka: PM Modi
In the presence of Khan, PM Modi underlined that countries need to come out of their "narrow purview" and fight against terrorism. "During my visit to Sri Lanka last Sunday, I visited the St. Anthony's church, where I witnessed the ugly face of terrorism which claims the lives of innocents anywhere," PM Modi said. He added India stood for a terrorism-free society.
PM Modi also met Xi, spoke about Pakistan's terrorism
The SCO is a China-led 8-member economic and security bloc, in which India and Pakistan were added in 2017. On Thursday, PM Modi met Xi on sidelines of the summit and reiterated India's stand that talks and terrorism can't go hand-in-hand. "Pakistan needs to create an atmosphere free of terror, but at this stage, we do not see it happening," PM Modi reportedly told Xi.
After Pulwama attack, India cornered Pakistan on global stage
To recall, tensions between India and Pakistan escalated earlier this year after Jaish-e-Mohammed attacked a CRPF convoy in Kashmir in which 40 soldiers lost their lives. In retaliation, IAF jets breached Pakistani airspace and attacked Jaish's camp in Balakot. Separately, India worked for Pakistan's isolation on a global stage. The efforts paid off after Jaish's boss Masood Azhar was declared as UN-designated terrorist.
Earlier, Khan wrote letter to PM Modi 'advocating talks'
Last week, Khan reached out to PM Modi via a letter. He said he was ready to talk on serious issues, including Kashmir dispute. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi wrote a similar letter to his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar. The letters sparked rumors that PM Modi and Khan might talk at SCO summit, but India clarified no bilateral talks would happen.
Meanwhile, Khan broke protocol at the SCO Summit
Pakistan isn't only being discussed because of what PM Modi said, but also because of what Khan did at the summit. In a video shared by Khan's party PTI, the cricketer-turned-politician can be seen sitting while other leaders stood up. As per protocol, world leaders remain standing until everyone enters the room. It is a way of showing respect, but Khan clearly didn't care.
