India and other members of the SCO Friday condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and called on the international community to promote cooperation in combating the menace.According to the Bishkek Declaration of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation 's Heads of State Council, the member states stressed that acts of terrorism and extremism cannot be justified.Increasing challenges and security threats that are becoming cross-border in their nature like terrorism, spread of terrorist and extremist ideology including on the internet, returning foreign terrorists, proliferation of the weapons of mass destruction, the risk of an arms race among others need special attention, close coordination and constructive cooperation of the global community, it said. "The member states condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. "They call on the international community to promote global cooperation in combatting terrorism with the central role of the UN by fully implementing corresponding UN Security Council resolutions and the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in compliance with the UN Charter and the principles of international law without politicisation and double standards and with respect for the sovereignty and independence of all countries," the declaration said.Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday attended the SCO Summit here. The SCO is a China-led 8-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. Other members of the grouping are China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.The SCO member states also urged the global community to work towards a consensus on adopting the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT).Stressing that acts of terrorism and extremism cannot be justified, they believe it is important to take comprehensive measures to intensify efforts against terrorism and its ideology, as well as to determine and eliminate the factors and conditions that promote terrorism and extremism, it said.

Source: Economic Times June 14, 2019 12:33 UTC