As the antithesis of the fundamental values that the UN upholds, including human rights, international laws and norms, and the principles governing interstate relations, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar emphasized at the UN that terrorism is one of the biggest threats to humanity.
In order to draw attention to the terrible effects of terrorism and to inspire international cooperation against it, he made these statements during the opening of the exhibition “The Human Cost of Terrorism” at the UN headquarters in New York.
Jaishankar made particular mention of the Pahalgam terror incident in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians. He pointed out that the UN Security Council had strongly condemned the attack and called for the perpetrators to face consequences and receive justice.
In retaliation, India began Operation Sindoor on May 7 and carried out targeted attacks against Pakistani and Pakistan-occupied Kashmiri terror infrastructure, killing more than 100 terrorists connected to organizations like Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Jaish-e-Mohammed.
He also emphasized the more general message of zero tolerance for terrorism, calling on everyone to agree on basic principles and allow the realization that “terrorism anywhere is a threat to peace everywhere” to direct international cooperation. The exhibition itself was characterized as a call to action for the international community to defend human rights and ideals endangered by terrorism, as well as an homage to victims and a commemoration of lives lost.
Participating at the QUAD Foreign Ministers’ Meeting during his visit to the US furthered diplomatic ties with important allies including the US, Japan, and Australia while reaffirming India’s commitment to a free, open, and safe Indo-Pacific.
