CURRENT AFFAIRS | DEFENCE | 29 APRIL 2026
CLAT GK + INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS | SCO Charter | RATS Tashkent
At the SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Bishkek on 28 April 2026, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told the grouping that there can be “no place for any double standards on terrorism” and invoked Operation Sindoor — India’s May 2025 cross-border response to the Pahalgam attack of 22 April 2025 — to underline that “terror epicentres are no longer immune to justifiable punishment.” On the sidelines, Singh held bilaterals with Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun (reviewing the LAC situation and post-Tianjin Declaration follow-through), Russian, Belarusian, Kyrgyz and Kazakh defence ministers — making this Bishkek leg one of the most consequential SCO touchpoints since India’s full membership in 2017.
Background
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) — founded 2001 in Shanghai by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan — admitted India and Pakistan as full members at the Astana Summit (June 2017), Iran in 2023, and Belarus in 2024. The grouping covers ~40% of world population and ~30% of global GDP. Its three traditional pillars are the Three Evils — terrorism, separatism, extremism — operationalised through the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) headquartered in Tashkent. The 2026 Bishkek meeting follows the 2025 SCO Summit in Tianjin and comes a year after Operation Sindoor, India’s calibrated kinetic response to the Pahalgam terror attack of 22 April 2025.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Event: SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting, 28 April 2026.
- Host: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (current SCO chair).
- India led by: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
- Bilateral with China: Admiral Dong Jun — LAC, regional security, defence engagement.
- Other bilaterals: Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan.
- Key message: “No place for double standards on terrorism” + Operation Sindoor invoked.
- SCO members (10): China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India (2017), Pakistan (2017), Iran (2023), Belarus (2024).
- SCO counter-terror organ: RATS, headquartered in Tashkent.
Constitutional / Legal Framework
- Article 51 (DPSP): State to (a) promote international peace and security, (b) maintain just and honourable relations between nations, (c) foster respect for international law and treaty obligations, (d) encourage settlement of international disputes by arbitration. India’s SCO engagement directly tracks Art. 51.
- Article 73: Executive power of the Union extends to matters Parliament has power to legislate on — including foreign affairs (Union List Entry 10) and treaties (Entry 14).
- Article 253: Parliament’s power to make law to implement any treaty, agreement or convention with foreign states — the constitutional hook for domesticating SCO obligations.
- Union List Entries 10-14: Foreign affairs, diplomatic representation, UN, treaties, war and peace.
- Domestic counter-terror statutes: Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA); National Investigation Agency Act, 2008.
- SCO Charter (2002): The constitutive instrument; principles of mutual respect for sovereignty, non-interference, equality.
- SCO RATS Convention (2001 Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism): defines the “three evils.”
- Customary international law: State responsibility for cross-border terror — Corfu Channel (ICJ 1949), Nicaragua v. US (ICJ 1986).
CLAT Relevance
- Classic GK trio: SCO founded 2001 / India full member 2017 / RATS in Tashkent. Memorise this triad.
- Trap: SCO is NOT a military alliance like NATO — it is a Eurasian political-economic-security organisation. India also avoided endorsing the SCO joint statement when it omitted Pahalgam (June 2025 precedent).
- Constitutional hook: Article 51 (DPSP) + Article 253 (treaty implementation) is the standard CLAT IR question pairing.
- Operation Sindoor angle: May 2025 strikes followed Pahalgam (22 April 2025) — 1st anniversary now. Tests recall of cause-effect timeline.
- Membership trick: 10 full members as of 2024 (Iran-2023, Belarus-2024). Afghanistan and Mongolia are Observers; Turkey, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt are Dialogue Partners.
- Mnemonic for SCO founders (2001): “RUCK-T-U” — Russia, Uzbekistan, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan (Shanghai-Five plus Uzbekistan).
Test Yourself
10 MCQs on SCO architecture, RATS, Article 51 DPSP, and Op Sindoor’s diplomatic context:
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