At SCO Summit, PM Modi urges action against nations using terrorism as ‘strategic asset’
3 min readSep 1, 2026 01:09 PM IST
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) members to work together to dismantle the “entire ecosystem of terrorism”. He also stressed that countries cannot be allowed to treat terrorism as a “strategic asset” by means of state policy, or shelter and support to terrorists.
He said the global fight against terror cannot allow selective approaches or “double standards”.
Speaking at the 26th SCO Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, PM Modi said terrorism is a major threat to humanity and the response must go beyond an “action-reaction” approach, reported news agency ANI.
He said the network that supports terrorism, including funding, recruitment, radicalisation and safe shelters, must be destroyed.
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𝐏𝐌 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐢 𝐚𝐭 𝟐𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐂𝐎 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭#WATCH || Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan: Prime Minister @narendramodi poses for a group photograph with other leaders at the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.@MEAIndia @IndiainKyrgyzR #PMModi #SCOSummit #SCO2026… pic.twitter.com/mvmbntJLiR
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) September 1, 2026
The Prime Minister said peace and security form the first pillar of India’s vision for the SCO, along with connectivity and opportunity.
Referring to Afghanistan, which has been fending off attacks by Pakistan, PM Modi said the shared goal of a peaceful and secure Eurasia is closely connected to stability in the country. He added that India has been supporting Afghanistan through development and humanitarian assistance and will continue to do so.
On the crisis in West Asia, PM Modi said conflict in one region does not remain limited to that geography. Its effects, he said, are felt across energy security, maritime trade and global supply chains, with countries of the Global South facing the heaviest impact.
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India’s position, he said, remains that tensions and wars cannot be resolved on the battlefield and must be addressed through dialogue and diplomacy.
#WATCH | Kyrgyzstan: Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek.
(Source: Russian Pool via Reuters) pic.twitter.com/qTRBmlIOFF
— ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2026
The Prime Minister also highlighted drug trafficking as a serious threat to young people and regional security. He called for deeper cooperation through SCO platforms dealing with security challenges, organised crime, information security and narcotics, saying these mechanisms should become effective channels for practical coordination and timely action.
PM Modi further said the benefits of SCO cooperation must directly reach ordinary people. He called people-to-people ties the organisation’s greatest strength and said the next 25 years of the SCO should place citizens at the centre of cooperation.
He said the success of the grouping should be measured by the opportunities created for young people, new markets opened for entrepreneurs, technological benefits reaching farmers and improvements in citizens’ lives.
Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov is hosting the summit and is serving as its chair.
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Besides PM Modi, the summit is being attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon.
