In a world where strategic convenience often trumps moral clarity, India has taken a firm and unapologetic stance: those who support terrorism must never be rewarded. Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a veiled but unmistakable message to the United States at the recent G7 Summit, criticizing the red-carpet treatment accorded to Pakistan’s Army Chief. His words underscored a growing Indian frustration—that the international community, in its quest for balance, is at times willing to blur the line between perpetrators of terror and their victims.
Modi’s assertion—that terrorists and victims can never be equated—was more than rhetoric; it was a signal. And India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh followed through with action. At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Defence Ministers’ conclave, hosted on Chinese soil, Singh refused to sign the joint communique. With his Chinese and Pakistani counterparts seated across from him, Singh criticized the SCO’s reluctance to call out cross-border terrorism and rejected what he called “double standards” on the issue.
This move came after China, chairing the SCO this year, allegedly blocked the inclusion of the Pahalgam massacre—a brutal terrorist attack on Indian soil—from the joint statement. Instead, Beijing and Islamabad pushed for the inclusion of issues such as Baluchistan and the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, which India rightly saw as a deliberate attempt to deflect attention.
Meanwhile, the duplicity surrounding global terror diplomacy was once again on full display, this time involving U.S. President Donald Trump. Just six weeks after controversially claiming credit for a ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, Trump made a similar claim regarding an alleged U.S.-brokered peace deal between Israel and Iran. But reality swiftly caught up with rhetoric.
Tehelka’s cover story, “Israel-Iran war: Will Trump’s truce hold?” explains how U.S. airstrikes on suspected Iranian nuclear sites only added fuel to the fire. Tehran had anticipated the move, relocating enriched uranium to undisclosed sites. In retaliation, Iran launched a missile strike on a U.S. military base in Qatar—an aggressive counterpunch that left Washington stunned and reinforced how fragile and combustible the region remains. Trump’s gamble backfired, exposing the futility of brute force in matters demanding diplomacy and mutual respect.
The lesson is clear: sustainable peace cannot be dictated from above. It requires consistent, principled diplomacy—something India appears to understand better than most. As the U.S. stumbles through one foreign policy blunder after another, India is quietly but firmly asserting its moral authority on the world stage.
Amidst these global tensions, India also had cause for celebration. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carrying Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and three other astronauts, successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS). This milestone not only marks India’s deepening involvement in international space exploration but also symbolizes its growing stature as a global leader, one rooted in ethics, science, and a steadfast commitment to peace.
