India at the SCO Heads of Government Meeting: No Double Standards on Terror, Connectivity That Respects Sovereignty
The 25th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG) was held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on 20 October 2026. India was represented by its Defence Minister.
India asked all SCO members to act together to dismantle the whole "ecosystem" of terrorism. This means not just the attackers, but also those who fund, arm, train and shelter them (give them safe havens).
India said terrorism can never be justified, and there must be no double standards (treating one country's terrorists as bad and another's as acceptable). It asked members to move from declarations to practical, coordinated action.
On connectivity, India named the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and Chabahar Port. It said connectivity projects must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. India also called for simpler customs, digital (paperless) documents and better logistics.
India welcomed two new permanent SCO bodies: a Universal Centre in Tashkent and an Anti-Drug Centre in Dushanbe. It cautioned that more institutions do not automatically bring better results and that new bodies should avoid duplication.
The meeting adopted a Joint Communiqué, the SCO budget for 2027 and the Action Plan for the Programme of Multilateral Trade and Economic Cooperation (PMTEC) for 2026-2030. India also invited members to the first SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum, which India will host later in 2026.
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is a regional group of ten Eurasian countries that work together on security, trade, energy and connectivity. It was founded on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai, China, and grew out of the "Shanghai Five" group of 1996. India and Pakistan became full members in 2017, Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024. The SCO takes decisions by consensus, which means every member must agree.
The CHG is the SCO's economic forum, but India used it to place terrorism and sovereignty-respecting connectivity at the centre. India's call for "no double standards" is aimed at SCO members who condemn terrorism in general but shield particular groups. Because the SCO works by consensus, any strong joint language on terrorism needs every member, including Pakistan and China, to agree.
International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)
The International North-South Transport Corridor is a network of ship, rail and road routes, about 7,200 km long, that links India to Russia and Northern Europe through Iran, the Caspian Sea region and Central Asia. It is a shorter and cheaper alternative to the long sea route through the Suez Canal. India, Iran and Russia signed the founding agreement in St. Petersburg on 12 September 2000, and more countries have joined since.
By naming INSTC and Chabahar at the SCO, India presented them as a model of connectivity that is agreed by all the countries involved. Its line that projects which ignore sovereignty are not sustainable is an indirect reference to CPEC. Central Asian SCO members are landlocked, so India's route through Chabahar is its main way to reach them without crossing Pakistan.
Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT)
The Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, or CCIT, is a proposed United Nations treaty that would make all forms of international terrorism a crime under one single global law. India first proposed it in 1996. It would require every country that joins to punish terrorists, deny them money, weapons and safe havens, and either put them on trial or hand them over to another country. Even after almost 30 years of talks, the treaty has not been adopted, mainly because countries cannot agree on how to define "terrorism".
India's call at the SCO for "no double standards" and for dismantling the whole terror ecosystem is the same idea that sits at the heart of the CCIT: one rule for all terrorists, with no country allowed to shelter them. Without an agreed global definition, regional forums like the SCO are where India keeps pushing for common action. The SCO's own decision to upgrade its anti-terror body into a Universal Centre shows that regional cooperation is moving even while the global treaty stays stuck.
- Meeting: 25th SCO Council of Heads of Government, Dushanbe, Tajikistan, 20 October 2026
- Outcomes: Joint Communiqué, SCO budget for 2027, PMTEC Action Plan 2026-2030
- New permanent SCO bodies: Universal Centre (Tashkent) and Anti-Drug Centre (Dushanbe), decided at the Tianjin summit, 1 September 2025
- SCO: founded 15 June 2001 in Shanghai; 10 members; Secretariat in Beijing; RATS in Tashkent
- India and Pakistan: full SCO members since 2017
- India will host the first SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum in 2026
- INSTC: about 7,200 km; agreement signed 12 September 2000 by India, Iran and Russia
- CCIT: proposed by India in 1996; still not adopted