Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation on September 1, 2026, to take concrete action against terrorism across the region, calling on member states to dismantle what he described as an interconnected ecosystem of terror financing, recruitment, radicalisation, and safe havens. In his address to the annual SCO summit, Modi emphasised that terrorism must never be employed as a “strategic asset” by any nation or non-state actor, a statement that analysts say carries pointed implications for regional security dynamics. The Indian Prime Minister’s remarks come at a particularly notable juncture, as Pakistan is set to assume the SCO chairmanship for the 2026-2027 term, lending added weight to questions about how the organisation will address persistent security challenges within its membership.
Speaking at the gathering of SCO heads of state, Modi laid out what he characterised as India’s foundational position on counter-terrorism: that genuine regional cooperation requires dismantling the entire infrastructure that sustains terrorist activities, not merely responding to individual incidents after they occur. The Prime Minister argued that financing mechanisms, recruitment pipelines, ideological radicalisation networks, and the provision of territorial safe havens must be treated as interconnected components of a single threat that demands a unified response. His administration has long maintained that piecemeal approaches to terrorism have proven inadequate, and that addressing the problem requires tackling its enabling conditions across multiple dimensions simultaneously.
The Prime Minister’s explicit statement that “terrorism must never be regarded as a strategic asset” has drawn particular attention from regional observers. The phrasing echoes language India has employed in multilateral forums before, but its delivery at an SCO summit—where both India and Pakistan sit as member states—carries distinct diplomatic resonance. The summit takes place within a broader context of strained India-Pakistan relations, where issues including cross-border terrorism, disputed Kashmir, and periodic military confrontations have repeatedly disrupted efforts at normalisation. By articulating the principle in a forum that includes Pakistan as a participating member, Modi positioned India’s counter-terrorism stance as a matter of organisational principle rather than bilateral grievance.
The timing of Modi’s remarks coincides with Pakistan’s impending assumption of the SCO chairmanship, a development that adds complexity to the organisation’s counter-terrorism agenda. The chairmanship confers significant influence over the SCO’s annual priorities, agenda-setting, and the framing of collective statements. How Pakistan—whose relationship with India remains characterised by deep mistrust—will approach counter-terrorism as its leadership theme for the coming year represents a question that regional security analysts will be monitoring closely. The SCO charter emphasises mutual security cooperation among its members, yet the definition of terrorism and the attribution of responsibility for terrorist activities have historically produced divergent positions among member states.
Beyond the bilateral dimensions, Modi’s address also touched upon the situation in Afghanistan, where India has maintained a cautious approach since the Taliban takeover in 2021. The Prime Minister called for peace and stability in Afghanistan, reflecting India’s broader concern that instability in the region could be exploited by terrorist organisations. Afghanistan shares borders with several SCO member states, and the country’s trajectory remains relevant to regional security calculations. India’s engagement with Afghanistan has traditionally focused on development assistance and humanitarian support, though diplomatic relations have been complicated by the change in governance structure following the Taliban ascendancy.
Analysis: The significance of Modi’s SCO address extends beyond the immediate diplomatic exchange at the summit. By framing counter-terrorism as an issue requiring action against the ecosystem of terrorism rather than isolated responses to specific attacks, India has staked out a position that, if adopted within SCO structures, could alter how the organisation approaches security cooperation. The distinction matters because it shifts focus from reactive measures—which have historically been subject to politicisation depending on which member state is implicated—toward preventive and structural interventions. Whether such an approach can gain traction within an organisation that includes states with sometimes divergent interests remains an open question.
The SCO, established as a regional security bloc focused on Central Asian stability, has expanded its membership and ambitions over the years. Current members include China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Iran, which joined as a full member in 2023. The organisation’s original mandate centred on combating separatism, extremism, and terrorism within member territories, but the practical application of these commitments has encountered challenges stemming from differing national priorities and geopolitical calculations among member states.
India’s participation in the SCO represents part of its broader “connect Central Asia” policy, which seeks to deepen economic, cultural, and security ties with the nations of Central Asia. Since gaining full membership in 2017, India has engaged with the organisation’s counter-terrorism mechanisms, including the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure based in Tashkent. However, India’s engagement has at times been complicated by its assessment of certain member states’ positions on terrorism, particularly regarding groups that New Delhi has designated as terrorist organisations operating from Pakistani territory.
What to watch next: The coming months will reveal how Pakistan’s assumption of the SCO chairmanship shapes the organisation’s counter-terrorism discourse. Observers will track whether the incoming chairmanship prioritises consensus-building on operational counter-terrorism cooperation or whether bilateral tensions within the membership complicate collective action. India’s continued engagement with SCO mechanisms, including whether Modi participates in subsequent summit-level events during Pakistan’s chairmanship, will also signal the trajectory of India’s multilateral diplomacy within the grouping. Additionally, the implementation of any commitments articulated at the September 2026 summit—particularly regarding the specific measures member states will take against terror financing networks—will test whether the organisation can move from rhetorical consensus to operational coordination.
The broader question of whether the SCO can function as an effective counter-terrorism forum, given the varying security priorities and bilateral relationships among its members, will continue to shape assessments of the organisation’s relevance. For India, the value of SCO membership lies partly in its access to Central Asian markets and its engagement with major powers China and Russia, but also in the opportunity to advance its counter-terrorism priorities within a multilateral setting. How those priorities are received during Pakistan’s chairmanship will provide a measure of the organisation’s ability to address sensitive security issues amid member-state tensions.
The Prime Minister’s call for dismantling the ecosystem of terror financing, recruitment, radicalisation, and safe havens reflects an analytical framework that has gained traction in international counter-terrorism discourse. The premise—that terrorism thrives when its supporting infrastructure remains intact—has informed approaches adopted by the United Nations and various regional bodies. Whether the SCO, given its composition and the political dynamics among its members, can operationalise such an approach represents a challenge that will test the limits of multilateral cooperation on security matters.
Sources
The Hindu: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/prime-minister-narendra-modi-address-annual-sco-summit-september-1-2026/article71414028.ece
Source: The Hindu – National
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