India refused to associate itself with a statement by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) condemning Israel’s military strikes on Iran in another show of solidarity with Israel this week, after it abstained from voting on a UN resolution seeking a ceasefire in Gaza. Like India, Iran is also a member of the Eurasian security grouping in which China and Russia play key roles and Pakistan too is a member.The Organisation condemned the Israeli attack, saying such aggressive actions against “civilian targets, including energy and transport infrastructure” violate UN Charter and international law, constituting an infringement of Iran’s sovereignty and posing serious risks to global peace. However, India said on Saturday that it wasn’t a part of the discussions that led to the SCO statement.Recalling its statement on Friday for restraint, the Indian government urged that dialogue and diplomacy be utilised to work towards de-escalation and underscored the need for the international community to work in that direction. It also recalled external affairs minister S Jaishankar’s talks with his Iranian counterpart on Friday, conveying concerns of the international community and urging avoidance of any escalatory action. “The overall position of India, as stated above, was communicated to other SCO members. Keeping that in mind, India did not participate in the discussions on the above-mentioned SCO statement,” said the Indian government, disowning the SCO condemnation of Israel.While India has disassociated itself from the SCO condemnation of Israel, last year it did sign on to a BRICS statement criticising Israel for its actions in Gaza. Unlike with BRICS though, Pakistan is a member of the SCO and India would also perhaps not have liked to be seen as joining hands with a traditional foe to condemn a trusted partner in Israel.This is not the first time India has broken ranks with the SCO but any Indian rejection of the grouping’s joint statements or initiatives so far had been related to concerns about China. India has never endorsed China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in SCO joint statements and in the 2023 summit the Indian government backed out of the Organisation’s economic development strategy for 2030 that seemed more attuned to Chinese interests and policies.India otherwise sees SCO as an important platform for promoting trade and investment, connectivity, and also for counterterrorism cooperation, prevention of radicalisation and for addressing the situation in Afghanistan with other stakeholders in the grouping. In the case of Iran, India continues to officially cherish its “civilisational ties” with the country, backing cooperation in areas like trade, connectivity and counterterrorism.India’s strong defence and security cooperation with Israel was evident recently in the successful Indian use of Israeli drones and air defence systems in the conflict with Pakistan. However, while Israel sees Iran as the principal backer of terrorism, India holds that it’s Pakistan that is the fountainhead of global terrorism. India was among 19 countries that abstained from voting on a UN General Assembly resolution on Thursday that sought an unconditional and lasting ceasefire, drawing criticism from the opposition parties.
