Forging consensus: On India and the SCO meeting

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attendance at the annual meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, marking 25 years of the Eurasian grouping, had a multi-pronged agenda. This was an occasion to meet his counterparts, for the first time since the U.S.-Israel war on Iran began more than six months ago, which has inflicted economic costs on the whole grouping. The grouping includes Iran, as well as Pakistan that has emerged a mediator between Iran and the U.S., and the Bishkek declaration that condemned the U.S. and Israel’s attacks on Iran and supported Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear technology under the NPT, was significant. Many of the SCO members are also in the BRICS grouping who Mr. Modi will host in Delhi on September 12-13 — this includes Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. New Delhi is keen to forge consensus on a joint declaration, which has been difficult due to UAE-Iran tensions and Mr. Modi’s discussions with Mr. Pezeshkian included BRICS cooperation. India’s ties with the Central Asian Republics have flagged due to other preoccupations, making Mr. Modi’s visits to Tashkent and Bishkek, and meetings with regional leaders this time, an important initiative to revive talks on trade, critical minerals, tourism and other areas. As Pakistan takes over the SCO chairmanship, the Bishkek Summit allowed Mr. Modi to set out India’s agenda for the coming year. His speech at the Summit focused on the importance of dismantling the ecosystem of “terrorist financing, recruitment, radicalisation, and safe havens”, calling on the SCO to eschew “double standards” on terrorism. He also pressed for a strong message to countries that “use terrorism as an instrument of policy and provide safe haven and support to terrorists” — a pointed reference to India’s oft-repeated concerns about Pakistan. The Bishkek declaration’s inclusion of strong language on “all forms” of terrorism, including cross-border, has thus been welcomed by New Delhi. It remains to be seen how far the Pakistan presidency will take these ideas forward.Compared to the high-octane optics and the Modi-Putin-Xi handshake at the 2025 Tianjin SCO Summit, this year’s summit was relatively sombre. The U.S.’s tariffs, its war with Iran and sanctions on Russia have damaged economic security, energy security and connectivity (the Hormuz Strait blockade), and pose major challenges to the grouping. For India, after tensions with Pakistan had peaked last year after the Pahalgam attacks and the four-day conflict, the past year has been sobering, given Pakistan’s diplomatic forays with the U.S., and the new security pact with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. In the altered geopolitical framing, India must seek to broaden its engagement with all regional multilateral organisations such as the SCO. Published - September 04, 2026 12:10 am IST