SCO's anti-terror protocol

The SCO joint communique came with a healing touch as it succeeded in assembling together India and Pakistan to look at terrorism from the same prism. While both the countries have been on the receiving end from non-state actors, who have pushed them literally to the brink, the point that Delhi and Islamabad continue to blame each other for terror footprints has compounded the issue of dealing in real-time with terrorism.

The multilateral forum's declaration in Chinese city of Tianjin, thus, was a leap forward as it came as consolation to either sides, as apart from Pahalgam attack that took the arch-rivals into a four-day duel in May 2025, the Jaffer Express hijacking and killing episodes in Balochistan were flagged as condemnable issues.

It was a win-win situation for both the neighbours as the regional states realised the gravity of revulsion that terror elements are unleashing, and this should pave the way for a coordinated counter-terrorism mechanism. The diplomatic pitch at Tianjin was more inclusive, as unlike the June SCO gathering, where India had walked out in protest over the same Pahalgam prefix and a declaration could not be churned, some astute choreography is evident this time.

This declaration should not end up in the annals of interstate relations as a footnote but must gravitate as a momentum to address the faceless enemy, and to exterminate terror nexus in all sincerity. It is also an opportunity to get introspective and do away with tactical maneuvering that is unleashed on an adversary by exploiting ground realities to make it bleed. The extraterritorial terror activities by India in Pakistan, Canada and the US are cases in point. Such an approach has derailed bilateralism and put India in a bad light.

The 10-nation SCO must lead from the front in making peace between India and Pakistan. As the multilateral organisation's endeavour is to build a robust cobweb of economic interaction and further connectivity, it should enact a protocol and oversee the process of curbing terrorism, separatism and extremism among the member states.