SCO Council of Heads of Government: Terror, Connectivity

🗞️ Why in News The 25th meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was held in Dushanbe on 20 October 2026, under the chairmanship of Tajikistan. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh represented India and called on Member States, in the Ministry of Defence’s account, to make concerted efforts to dismantle the entire ecosystem of terrorism; the Heads of Delegation adopted the meeting’s Joint Communique, including the SCO budget for 2027.

The CHG is the SCO’s second-highest council. It adopts the organisation’s budget and, in the Ministry of Defence’s words, is “an important mechanism of the Organisation responsible for promoting economic and other areas of practical cooperation among Member States.” India used the Dushanbe meeting to set out its terms on three fronts: no double standards on terrorism, connectivity that respects sovereignty, and new institutions only where there is a clearly identified need.

The 25th CHG at a Glance

PMTEC refers to the SCO’s Multilateral Trade and Economic Cooperation Programme. In his address, Rajnath Singh reaffirmed India’s support for “the adoption of an Action Plan for the Multilateral Trade and Economic Cooperation Programme for the period 2026-2030”, the Ministry of Defence said.

Two Councils, Two Rotations: CHG and CHS

The SCO has two top councils, and they rotate separately.

In the SCO Secretariat’s words, the CHG “adopts the Organisation’s budget and addresses key issues related to advancing interaction within the Organisation, particularly in economic spheres.” Its recent meetings show the separate rotation:

• 23rd: held in Pakistan, 15 and 16 October 2024
• 24th: Moscow, 18 November 2025
• 25th: Dushanbe, 20 October 2026

Who goes for India. The Ministry of External Affairs notes in its brief on the SCO that “While the CHS meetings are attended by the PM, the CHG meetings are usually represented by EAM.” This year the Defence Minister represented India.

What India Said at Dushanbe

Rajnath Singh recalled the SCO Summit in Bishkek in August-September 2026, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi had underlined the need for concrete steps by the organisation on security, connectivity and opportunity. His address in Dushanbe can be read along those three lines, with a fourth point on how the SCO should build institutions.

Security: No Double Standards

“Terrorism results in the loss of innocent lives and disrupts investment & commerce. It radicalises societies and deprives youth of the opportunities they rightfully deserve. There can be no justification for terrorism, no double standards in addressing it, and no place for those who finance, support, or provide safe havens to terrorists,” Rajnath Singh said, describing terrorism as one of the gravest threats to peace and development.

He welcomed the decisions taken at the Bishkek summit to establish the Universal Centre in Tashkent and the Anti-Drug Centre in Dushanbe as permanent bodies of the organisation, adding that their effectiveness would depend on efficient coordination and timely execution of tasks.

Connectivity: Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity

• The principle: connectivity “must be based on consultation and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries”; projects not founded on these principles “will not be sustainable”.
• The routes India backs: the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and the Chabahar Port “can contribute significantly to connecting Central Asia with broader markets.”
• Beyond physical links: simpler customs procedures, digital documentation, better logistics and interoperable digital solutions to cut the cost of doing business across the region.
• Financing: he highlighted the symposium on financing infrastructure projects in Central Asia, held in Mumbai earlier this month, and acknowledged the first-ever SCO Asian Economic Dialogue.

Opportunity: Who Gains From Cooperation

Against an uncertain global economy marked by geopolitical tensions, disrupted trade and supply chains, concerns over energy and food security, and technological divides, he called for resilient supply chains, easier trade and investment, and technology-led development, and backed the PMTEC Action Plan for 2026-2030. “Our success should be measured by the opportunities we create for youth, new markets we open for our entrepreneurs, technologies we make available to our farmers and small-scale business owners, and the connections we foster among societies,” he said.

India’s own offers to the grouping:

• Digital Public Infrastructure, which has transformed public service delivery and enhanced financial inclusion; one of the world’s largest start-up ecosystems; women-led development.
• Global initiatives: the International Solar Alliance and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (affordable clean energy and climate-resilient development), Mission LiFE (sustainable lifestyles) and the Global Biofuel Alliance.
• Culture: he invited Member States to the first SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum, which India will host later this year.

Institutions: Need Before Number

“India believes that the SCO must remain efficient and steadfast in its adherence to the principles of sovereign equality, consensus, and mutual respect. A greater number of institutions does not necessarily translate into greater achievements. New mechanisms should focus on clearly identified needs, avoid duplication, and prioritise delivering practical value to Member States,” he said.

What the Meeting Adopted

The meeting reviewed progress in multilateral economic and trade cooperation among SCO Member States and discussed measures to strengthen cooperation in transport, finance, the digital economy and social development. According to the Ministry of Defence, “The Heads of Delegation adopted the Joint Communiqué of the 25th Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government, including the SCO budget for 2027, relevant financial and administrative decisions, and the PMTEC Action Plan for 2026-2030.”

For the decisions of the summit that preceded it, see our report on the Bishkek Declaration and the 26th SCO summit.

The SCO: Static Background

Mains Lens: India’s Terms in the SCO

1. Terrorism without exceptions. “No double standards” and “no place for those who finance, support, or provide safe havens to terrorists” is India’s test for the grouping’s counter-terror work. The SCO already has RATS in Tashkent; the new Universal Centre there will be judged, in India’s words, on coordination and timely execution.
2. Connectivity on India’s terms. India backs the INSTC and Chabahar to reach Central Asian markets, and makes respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity the condition for any project to be sustainable.
3. Institutional discipline. India argues that more institutions do not mean more achievement, and that new mechanisms must meet clearly identified needs and avoid duplication; it holds the SCO to sovereign equality, consensus and mutual respect.
4. The economic track. The Dushanbe CHG adopted the SCO budget for 2027 and the PMTEC Action Plan for 2026-2030; India pairs that agenda with offers it can make, from Digital Public Infrastructure to the International Solar Alliance.
5. A delicate year. With Pakistan chairing the organisation for 2026-27, consensus is both India’s safeguard and its constraint.

Way Forward

• Make the new bodies deliver: press for efficient coordination and timely execution of tasks at the Universal Centre in Tashkent and the Anti-Drug Centre in Dushanbe, the test India itself set.
• Pair corridors with facilitation: push the INSTC and Chabahar alongside simpler customs and digital documents, the “beyond physical connectivity” agenda India set out.
• Lead with what India can share: Digital Public Infrastructure, start-up links and climate initiatives for Central Asian partners.
• Use soft power: make the first Civilisational Dialogue Forum a platform for people-to-people ties.

UPSC Relevance

GS Paper 2: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests; important international institutions, their structure and mandate.

GS Paper 3: Internal security: terrorism, its financing and safe havens; regional counter-terror cooperation.

Prelims: CHG and CHS; SCO founding (2001) and Charter (2002, in force 2003); 10 members and 2 observers; RATS in Tashkent; official languages; Universal Centre in Tashkent and Anti-Drug Centre in Dushanbe; INSTC and Chabahar.

Mains: “At the SCO Council of Heads of Government in Dushanbe, India set out its terms on terrorism, connectivity and institution-building. Examine how far the SCO serves India’s interests in Central Asia.” (GS2, 250 words)

📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia

Prelims, statement-ready facts:

• 25th SCO CHG: Dushanbe, 20 October 2026, under Tajikistan’s chairmanship; India represented by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
• The CHG adopts the SCO’s budget and meets once a year; each session is chaired by the head of government of the host state.
• The Heads of State Council (CHS) is the SCO’s supreme governing body; the 26th summit met in Bishkek, 31 August to 1 September 2026.
• Adopted at Dushanbe: the Joint Communique, including the SCO budget for 2027 and the PMTEC Action Plan for 2026-2030.
• The Bishkek summit decided to make the Universal Centre (Tashkent) and the Anti-Drug Centre (Dushanbe) permanent bodies.
• SCO founded on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai by six states; Charter signed 7 June 2002 at St Petersburg, in force 19 September 2003.
• 10 members, the newest Iran (4 July 2023) and Belarus (4 July 2024); 2 observers, Afghanistan and Mongolia.
• Permanent bodies: the Secretariat in Beijing and the RATS Executive Committee in Tashkent; official languages Russian and Chinese.
• The Bishkek summit (2026) decided to establish the Universal Centre (Tashkent) and the Anti-Drug Centre (Dushanbe) as permanent bodies.
• India a full member since June 2017 (Astana); the SCO chair for 2026-27 is Pakistan.

Prelims, the traps:

• The CHG (Heads of Government) is not the summit; the summit is the CHS, held this year at Bishkek.
• The CHG host (Tajikistan) is not the SCO chair for 2026-27 (Pakistan): the two rotate separately.
• RATS is in Tashkent; the Secretariat is in Beijing.
• The Universal Centre is in Tashkent and the Anti-Drug Centre in Dushanbe.
• The Civilisational Dialogue Forum is announced: India will host it later this year.

Mains, arguments and keywords:

• Keywords: ecosystem of terrorism; no double standards; sovereignty and territorial integrity; consensus; Central Asia connectivity; Digital Public Infrastructure.
• India’s terms: no justification and no double standards on terrorism, connectivity that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity, and new mechanisms only for clearly identified needs.
• Way forward: make the new permanent bodies deliver, pair the INSTC and Chabahar with trade facilitation, and offer DPI and start-up links to Central Asia.

Interview, be ready for:

• “Why does the SCO matter to India?” Speak of Central Asian connectivity (INSTC, Chabahar), counter-terror cooperation through RATS, and the CHG’s economic track, then India’s terms.

Revision Flowchart

Sources: PIB, Ministry of Defence, “25th SCO Council of Heads of Government Meeting: Raksha Mantri calls for unified action to dismantle the entire ecosystem of terrorism”, 20 October 2026. SCO Secretariat, report of 20 October 2026, and pages on the Council of Heads of Government, the Heads of State Council and the SCO. Ministry of External Affairs, briefs on the SCO (2022 and August 2025).

Source: SCO Council of Heads of Government: Terror, Connectivity — Ujiyari.com | Free UPSC & State PCS Current Affairs