Peace for progress
UPSC Probability
| Exam | Probability | Where it can come |
| Prelims | Medium | GS Paper II (International Relations): INSTC route and members, SCO members, Chabahar. Map-based and statement-based questions. |
| Mains | Medium | GS Paper II: India and regional groupings, effect of neighbours’ policies.
GS Paper III: Internal security (terrorism). |
Why in News?
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh raised terrorism, including cross-border terrorism from Pakistan, at the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting in Tajikistan.
- It is another instance of India using the SCO platform to press this issue after Operation Sindoor (2025).
Background
- SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation): a Eurasian political, economic and security grouping. India and Pakistan joined in 2017 (beyond the article).
- 2025 Qingdao Defence Ministers’ meeting: India refused to endorse the joint statement. It said the draft did not reflect concerns about cross-border terrorism and the Pahalgam attack, while mentioning militant activity in Balochistan.
- INSTC: a 7,200 km multimodal route linking the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea via Iran, and to northern Europe via St. Petersburg.
Key Points
- India’s message:
- Regional cooperation is not meaningful if states are selective on terrorism.
- Terrorism threatens peace, economic integration and sustainable development.
- SCO should dismantle the ecosystem of terrorism: its sources, support networks and enabling conditions.
- Selective treatment of threats weakens SCO’s credibility.
- Practical measures: intelligence sharing, action on terror financing, disruption of recruitment networks and denial of safe havens.
- India’s position on cooperation: trade, culture and development need not stop, but they require a stable security environment (predictable borders, investor confidence, rule of law).
- Issue: SCO has potential for stability, trade and connectivity, but divergent priorities hold back a common security framework.
- INSTC details:
- Aim: cut cost and transit time between India and Russia, by about half once fully working.
- History: mooted in 2000. India, Russia and Iran signed the agreement in 2002. Azerbaijan joined three years later. Ratified by 13 countries.
- Route: Mumbai to Bandar Abbas and Bandar-e-Anzali (Iran), across the Caspian Sea to Astrakhan, Moscow and St. Petersburg.
- Chabahar Port (Iran) offers an alternative route to Central Asia.
- PYQ link: a question on the INSTC route was asked in Prelims 2025.
Additional Data to remember for Prelims:
- INSTC: 7,200 km, Mumbai to St. Petersburg via Iran and the Caspian Sea. Agreement in 2002 by India, Russia, Iran.
- 13 ratifying countries (including Turkey, Ukraine, Oman, Armenia).
- Chabahar Port: in Iran, on the Gulf of Oman.
- SCO: India joined in 2017. Meeting venue this time: Tajikistan.
- Terms: Operation Sindoor (2025), Pahalgam attack (2025).
Additional Data to remember for Mains
- Security and connectivity: development cooperation needs a stable security environment.
- India’s consistent, non-selective stand on terrorism and use of multilateral platforms.
- SCO’s limits: India-Pakistan and India-China differences, and India’s wariness of the Belt and Road Initiative.
- INSTC and Chabahar as tools for Central Asia outreach and reduced dependence on Pakistan-linked transit routes.
Way Forward
- Keep pressing for a non-selective, practical counter-terror framework in the SCO (such as RATS).
- Speed up INSTC and Chabahar with attention to sanctions and security risks (beyond the article).
- Deepen bilateral ties with Central Asian states alongside SCO engagement.
Conclusion
India links regional cooperation with a firm stand against terrorism. The SCO’s value will depend on whether it turns shared words into joint, non-selective action, while India advances connectivity through INSTC and Chabahar.
Possible questions
“Examine the significance of the SCO for India. How do terrorism and connectivity concerns shape India’s engagement?” (15 marks)
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