External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday strongly asserted that India has every right to defend its people against terrorism and will not hesitate to exercise that right. Speaking in Washington, DC, at the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Jaishankar underlined India's firm position on zero tolerance towards terrorism and made it clear that the country expects its partners to understand and support this stance.
With his counterparts from the US, Australia, and Japan in attendance, Jaishankar said, "The world must display zero tolerance (towards terrorism). Victims and perpetrators must never be equated and India has every right to defend its people against terrorism. And we will exercise that right. We expect our Quad partners to understand and appreciate that."
Jaishankar's comments come against the backdrop of Operation Sindoor, India's robust military response to the April 22 Pahalgam carnage which left 26 people dead, mostly civilians.
India had responded to the Pahalgam attack by launching targeted strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK). India further launched strikes on Pakistani military facilities, including air defence systems, radar sites, and command-and-control centres in response to Islamabad's unprovoked aggression.
These retaliatory actions were taken between May 8 and 10, after which Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations reached out to his Indian counterpart over the hotline, leading to a ceasefire agreement on May 10.
Earlier in New York, during a conversation with Newsweek CEO Dev Pragad, Jaishankar had reinforced this message by stating, "We are not going to fall for that. If he is going to come and do things, we are going to go there and also hit the people who did this. So no yielding to nuclear blackmail, no impunity to terrorists, no more free pass that they are proxies. And we will do what we have to do to defend our people."
At the Quad meeting, Jaishankar also spoke about the grouping's shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and the importance of ensuring freedom of choice for nations in the region.
"It is essential that nations of the Indo-Pacific have the freedom of choice so essential to make right decisions on development and security," he said, adding that Quad's initiatives have progressed significantly in the maritime domain, logistics, education, and political coordination.
Highlighting that the Quad must become more cohesive, nimble and focused, he said, "Quad is about deepening our convergence and expanding our common ground. I value our consultations on different dimensions of the Indo-Pacific in that regard."
India has proposed hosting the next Quad Summit and Jaishankar noted that New Delhi had some proposals to make the meeting productive, expressing confidence that the partners would align their vision.
"We are all committed to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific. To that end, our endeavours are devoted to promoting a rules-based international order," he said.
S Jaishankar's visit to the US from June 30 to July 2 marks his second visit to Washington this year for a Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting.