S Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs, has reaffirmed India’s unwavering opposition to terrorism and stated that the nation will not give in to nuclear blackmail or permit terrorists or those who support them to go free.
“India will no longer accept the notion that terrorists are mere proxies and will not spare governments that support or finance them,” Jaishankar said in a speech in Washington, DC, after the April 22 terror incident in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives.
He referred to the Pahalgam attack as a “act of warfare” that was intended to incite religious strife and destroy Kashmir’s tourism-based economy, emphasizing that India cannot permit terrorists to operate freely just because they are based on the other side of the border.
Jaishankar emphasized that there should be no conditions that justify, encourage, or fund terrorist acts, making it clear that India has zero tolerance for terrorism. He emphasized India’s lengthy history of being a target of terrorism, citing significant incidents like the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and the assault on the Indian Parliament.
Tolerating or downplaying terrorist acts in one context allows them to proliferate elsewhere, he cautioned, underscoring the necessity for the international community to denounce state-sponsored terrorism.
Jaishankar strongly disagreed with the notion that the possibility of nuclear war should prevent India from defending itself in response to worries about escalation with Pakistan. He declared, “We will not let nuclear blackmail stop us from reacting,” and that India would take all necessary steps to save its people.
He affirmed that India’s retaliatory attacks after the Pahalgam incident targeted terrorist groups operating out of Pakistan, which do so openly and have well-known headquarters.
India reportedly killed more than 100 terrorists connected to organizations including Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen during targeted military operations known as Operation Sindoor targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the April 22 attack. India also declared economic and diplomatic sanctions against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and the closure of the only land border crossing in operation at Attari.
In Washington, Jaishankar urged partner countries to recognize and uphold India’s right to self-defense during the Quad Foreign Ministers’ conference. “Victims and perpetrators must never be equated,” he emphasized, adding that India expects its friends to respect its stance on terrorism. In addition, he emphasized the wider danger that terrorism poses to international security and called for cooperation and an international order based on rules in the Indo-Pacific area.
Jaishankar’s comments highlight a toughened Indian policy: no more leniency for terrorists or their backers, no capitulation to nuclear threats, and a firm determination to using all available tools to protect the country from terrorism.
