Operation Sindoor: There was no chance of nuclear conflict breaking out, says Jaishankar

India’s external affairs minister, S. Jaishankar, has said that despite all nuclear sabre-rattling by Islamabad, there was no chance of a nuclear conflict breaking out between India and Pakistan after Operation Sindoor.

Jaishankar said India and Pakistan were “very far away” from a nuclear conflict during their recent clashes because the Indian side only struck at terrorist targets on Pakistani soil in a measured and non-escalatory manner.

In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper during his just concluded visit to Germany, Jaishankar said terror is a “very open business” in Pakistan and narratives about clashes between the two countries leading to a nuclear problem “encourages terrible activities like terrorism”.

Replying to a question about how close India and Pakistan were to a nuclear conflict, he said, “Very, very far away... We have terrorist targets. Those were very measured, carefully considered and non-escalating steps.”

Jaishankar, who visited the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany last week, further said, “At no point was a nuclear level reached. There is a narrative as if everything that happens in our part of the world leads directly to a nuclear problem. That disturbs me a lot because it encourages terrible activities like terrorism.”

‘Anyone who is not blind can see terrorist organisations openly operating in Pakistan’

He said that anyone “who is not blind can see” terrorist organisations are openly operating in Pakistan’s cities and towns.

“The UN Security Council terror list is full of Pakistani names and places, and these are the very places we have targeted... In Pakistan, terrorism is a very open business. A business that is supported, financed, organised and used by the state. And by their military.”

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack and targeted terrorist infrastructure at nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The precision strikes rattled Pakistan which launched drones, missiles and long-range weapons, raising fears of an all-out war, till India struck the airbases deep inside Pakistan forcing it to reach an understanding on stopping the hostilities on May 10.

Jaishankar further clarified that the firing stopped at Pakistan’s request and said India sent a clear signal to terrorists that “there is a price to be paid” for carrying out attacks like Pahalgam.

India also made it clear to its international partners that “terrorists must not be allowed to get away with attacks”.

When asked whether he would thank the US for the May 10 ceasefire, the EAM said, “The cessation of firing was agreed between the military commanders of both sides through direct contact...I thank the Indian military because it was the Indian military action that made Pakistan say: We are ready to stop.”

Asked if China played a role in the conflict, Jaishankar said many of the weapons used by Pakistan are of Chinese origin and the two countries are very close.