Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s firm stance against terrorism during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of Government meeting held in Astana, Kazakhstan, on November 18. He emphasized that India will exercise its sovereign right to protect its citizens and urged the global community to demonstrate zero tolerance toward all forms of terrorism. Highlighting the SCO’s founding purpose of combating terrorism, separatism, and extremism, Jaishankar called for strengthening the organization’s structure and actions to meet contemporary challenges. He also advocated for modernization and reforms within the SCO, including implementing India’s longstanding proposal to make English an official language alongside Russian and Chinese. Additionally, he outlined India’s initiatives to promote innovation and entrepreneurship among youth through the SCO Startup and Innovation Working Group and the SCO Startup Forum. Jaishankar assured that India would continue to extend full cooperation to achieve these shared goals.