Shehbaz Sharif's embarrassing run at SCO as PM Modi, XI close ranks on terror

New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS) Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is clearly not having the best outing at the ongoing Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit being held at Tianjin, the port city in China.

During the 2022 summit, Sharif had an embarrassing moment during a bilateral with Russian President Vladimir Putin when he was seen struggling with his headphones. This time, he was mocked online when he came up from behind and abruptly reached out to Putin to shake his hand.

In the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor, Pakistan felt it had the upper hand. Pakistan’s Army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, had lunch with President Donald Trump after the latter claimed that he had stopped the conflict with India. Pakistan made several false claims about Operation Sindoor and felt that it had the upper hand, as it received support from the US and Turkey. However, the SCO Summit had a different story to tell.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his address, sent out a strong message and said that there should not be double standards when it comes to fighting terrorism. He urged all nations to unite in this fight.

There was more embarrassment for Sharif when the SCO strongly condemned the Pahalgam attack. All this took place in the presence of Sharif.

"The Member States strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April 2025. They expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the dead and the wounded. They further stated that perpetrators, organisers and sponsors of such attacks must be brought to justice," the declaration read.

However, the biggest embarrassment for Sharif came when Chinese President Xi Jinping extended support to India in the fight against cross-border terrorism.

On Sunday, PM Modi and President Xi Jinping held talks during which the issue of cross-border terrorism came up. The PM said that both India and China are victims of terrorism and should work together to combat the issue of cross-border terrorism.

“The prime minister outlined his understanding very crisply and very specifically. He outlined the fact that this is a scourge that both China and India have been victims of, and India is still combating this menace, and he asked for China’s support on this particular issue,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said at a media briefing held in Tianjin after the talks.

While India has borne the brunt of terror from Pakistan for long, China too is facing the heat. Its projects in Pakistan have been consistently attacked by terror outfits such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). China has been telling Pakistan to rein in on these elements and protect its projects and the staff working on them.

India has on many occasions pinpointed Pakistan’s role in several terror attacks that have taken place on Indian soil. Even during the probe into the Pahalgam attack, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has managed to establish Islamabad’s role in the attack.

The SCO declaration, which states that the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack should be brought to justice, is a slap on Pakistan’s face since the country has been denying any role in it.

PM Modi, during the summit, said that India has been bearing the brunt of terrorism for the last four decades.

Recently, India witnessed the worst side of terrorism in Pahalgam. The strong statements and the declaration condemning the Pahalgam attack were made in the presence of Sharif and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

It may be recalled that Turkey was one of the most vocal supporters of Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. The Operation that was carried out to avenge the Pahalgam attack managed to destroy scores of terror launch pads, training facilities, and headquarters, both deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

--IANS

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