India's Jaishankar, in wake of Moscow attack, says terror shouldn't be defended; takes dig at China

India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday (Mar 24) said“a terrorist is a terrorist” and one should never allow terrorism to either be excused or defended just because people were using a different explanation for it.

His remarks at an interaction with the Indian community in Singapore came in the wake of the terror attack in a Moscow theatre that left nearly 140 people dead.

In response to a question about how Indian officials handle delicate and linguistically disparate subjects with their international counterparts, Jaishankar stated that many countries bring their own cultures, traditions, and at times their ideas to the table while engaging in diplomatic discussions.

"It's also natural that there will be different viewpoints. And what diplomacy is about is to find a way of reconciling it and coming to some kind of agreement," he said.

However, he said there were some issues like terrorism where clarity persists and there is no scope for confusion.

"You can take it in any language, but a terrorist is a terrorist in any language," he said.

"Never allow something like terrorism to be excused or defended because they're using a different language or a different explanation," he said.

His comments could also be an apparent reference to China which has in the past dismissed proposals put forward by India and the US at the United Nations Security Council to blacklist several Pakistan-based terrorists, including Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Sajid Mir.

He said there can be issues where two countries can genuinely have different viewpoints and there "will be issues when they are used as a cover as an excuse as a justification."

He then said that one should just know how to spot the difference and figure out a way to deal with it.

Jaishankar dismisses China’s claims on Arunachal Pradesh

Rebuffing China's claims regarding Arunachal Pradesh as “ludicrous”, Jaishankar on Saturday reiterated that the state was a “natural part of India”.

Responding to China's opposition to Indian leaders visiting the state and its repeated claims on Arunachal Pradesh, Jaishankar said that it was not a new issue.

“This is not a new issue. I mean China has laid claim, it has expanded its claim. The claims are ludicrous, to begin with, and remain ludicrous today,” he said in response to a question on the Arunachal issue after delivering a lecture at the NUS Institute of South Asian Studies.

He further underlined that Arunachal Pradesh was a “natural part of India.”

“So, I think we’ve been very clear, very consistent on this. And I think you know that is something which will be part of the boundary discussions which are taking place,” he stated.

(With inputs from agencies)