At SCO, Modi calls for thoughtful decision on Afghan

In a virtual address at a meeting of the heads of state of the SCO and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation on Afghanistan, Modi said the developments in the war-torn country will have the “greatest impact” on neighbouring countries like India and underscored the need to ensure that Afghan soil was not used to spread terrorism in any country. He also called for having a code of conduct to prevent cross-border terrorism and terror financing.

Earlier, Speaking at the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State, Modi said the recent developments in Afghanistan have demonstrated that increasing radicalisation was the “root cause” of biggest challenges relating to peace and security in the region and pitched for developing a common template by the SCO to deal with these challenges.

Without naming the Taliban, the Prime Minister mentioned four specific issues covering key concerns relating to the developments in Afghanistan and the need for the international community to look at them.

The first issue, he said relates to the questions over the change of power as it was not inclusive and took place without negotiation. Talking about the second issue, the Prime Minister said if instability and fundamentalism continue in Afghanistan, it will lead to terrorist and extremist ideologies all over the world.

Explaining the third point, Modi said developments in Afghanistan could lead to an uncontrolled flow of drugs, illegal weapons and human trafficking. The fourth topic of concern, Modi said, is the serious humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.