Putin, Sharif and Xi: PM Modi’s 3 distinct yet powerful messages at SCO - Moneycontrol.com

**Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Three‑Fold Messaging at the SCO Summit**

New Delhi’s delegation arrived in Bishkek on 12 September for the 23rd summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a platform that brings together China, Russia, India, Pakistan and four Central Asian states. While the meeting was framed around “overcoming limits” in regional connectivity and security, Modi used the high‑profile gathering to articulate three separate yet interlinked messages aimed at reshaping the alliance’s agenda. First, he underscored India’s deepening strategic partnership with Russia, highlighting a shared commitment to a multipolar world order and reaffirming defence‑co‑operation agreements in the wake of Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Speaking with President Vladimir Putin, Modi stressed that Russia’s “responsible” role in Eurasian stability remains indispensable, even as New Delhi balances its ties with the West.

Second, Modi addressed Pakistan’s newly acquired chairmanship of the SCO, delivering a pointed rebuke of Islamabad’s alleged use of terrorism as a foreign‑policy instrument. In a televised statement, he warned that “terrorism cannot be treated as a strategic asset” and called on Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to curb extremist groups operating from its soil. The Prime Minister’s remarks echoed a broader Indian narrative that links regional security to counter‑terrorism cooperation, a stance that was reiterated during a private meeting with Sharif where Modi urged “constructive engagement rather than destabilisation.”

Finally, Modi reinforced India’s growing partnership with the People’s Republic of China, meeting President Xi Jin‑ping to discuss trade, connectivity and climate cooperation. He highlighted the importance of “mutual respect for sovereignty” and pledged to expand the China‑India “strategic partnership” through joint infrastructure projects along the Belt and Road corridors that intersect with India’s own “Act East” initiatives. By juxtaposing firm criticism of Pakistan with a conciliatory tone toward China and Russia, Modi signalled that India intends to leverage the SCO as a venue for balancing great‑power influences while championing a security architecture that excludes the politicisation of terrorism.