In a significant diplomatic development, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) strongly condemned the terrorist attacks on Pakistan’s Jaffar Express and a school bus in Khuzdar, calling for justice and rejecting double standards in the fight against terrorism.
The condemnation was part of the SCO Tianjin Declaration, adopted at the 25th Heads of State Council Summit in China’s port city of Tianjin.
Member states unequivocally denounced the March 11 attack on the Jaffar Express and the May 21 attack in Khuzdar, reaffirming their commitment to fight terrorism, separatism, and extremism in all forms.
The declaration further emphasized that “double standards in the fight against terrorism are unacceptable”, and insisted that “those responsible — including perpetrators, organizers, and sponsors — must be brought to justice.”
PM Shehbaz: “Foreign Hands Involved in Jaffar Express Attack”
Addressing the SCO summit, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made a bold statement, revealing that there is concrete evidence of foreign involvement in the Jaffar Express bombing.
“There are clear indications of a foreign hand behind this heinous attack. Those responsible and their facilitators must be held accountable,” the Prime Minister said.
He warned the international community that the world can no longer afford to accept narratives that justify or excuse terrorism, especially when it is used as a tool of state policy.
“Those using state terrorism for political objectives must be stopped. Terrorism and extremism are serious threats to the entire region, not just Pakistan,” he added.
Pakistan’s Diplomatic Win.
The inclusion of these attacks in the SCO’s official declaration is being seen as a diplomatic victory for Pakistan, which has consistently argued that terrorism in regions like Balochistan is part of a larger cross-border proxy war, and not merely an internal security issue.
By acknowledging and condemning the attacks as acts of state-sponsored terrorism, the SCO has vindicated Pakistan’s longstanding position.
The statement also marks a significant moment in the international community’s recognition of how foreign-sponsored terrorism undermines regional peace, and it bolsters Islamabad’s efforts to internationalize the issue through multilateral platforms.
As Pakistan continues to face the brunt of proxy conflicts and cross-border terrorism, the SCO’s strong language in the Tianjin Declaration — along with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s direct accusations — signals a growing consensus on the need to isolate and punish state actors who support terrorism.
