‘World must display zero tolerance towards terrorism’: EAM Jaishankar in US

India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said in Washington, DC, on Tuesday that the world must display zero tolerance towards terrorism. Jaishankar’s remarks come ahead of the Quad foreign ministerial meeting in the US after India’s recent Operation Sindoor global outreach. Earlier in the day, Jaishankar had said that terrorists cannot be allowed to function with impunity. “The idea that they are on that side of the border, and that, therefore, sort of prevents retribution, I think, that’s a proposition that needs to be challenged, and that is what we did,” he said while referring to India’s Operation Sindoor and counter-terrorism efforts.
The external affairs minister once again affirmed that India has every right to defend its people against terrorism, saying that the nation will exercise that right. The union minister further said that victims and perpetrators of terrorism “must never be equated”.

“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,” Jaishankar said. “And we will exercise that right. We expect our Quad partners to understand and appreciate that,” he added.

‘No yielding to nuclear blackmail, no impunity to terrorists’

During his conversation with Newsweek CEO Dev Pragad in New York earlier, Jaishankar asserted that India will “no longer fall for nuclear blackmail” when it comes to fighting the rise of cross-border terrorism sponsored by terrorism.

“Now 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,” Jaishankar said.

The external affairs minister also underlined the need to ensure freedom of choice for countries in the Indo-Pacic region. The Quad, comprising India, the US, Australia, and Japan, has emerged as a key grouping largely focusing on peace, security, and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The Quad foreign ministerial meeting will prepare the ground for the grouping’s annual summit in New Delhi later this year.

“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.

“In the last several months, we have made significant progress in Quad initiatives. They include in the maritime domain, logistics, education, and political coordination. We will be discussing that in greater detail,” he said.

“A more cohesive, nimble, and focused Quad will certainly help deliver better. 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,” he added.