Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar forcefully stated that India will not be deterred by nuclear blackmail and will hold both terrorists and the governments that support them accountable for their actions. Speaking at a Newsweek event in New York, he asserted that the era of treating cross-border terror attacks with impunity is over.
No More Free Passes for Terror Proxies
Jaishankar declared that India will no longer spare governments that finance, support, and motivate terrorist organizations that target India. “We will not allow nuclear blackmail to prevent us from responding,” he said, pushing back against the long-held concern that any action against nuclear-armed Pakistan could lead to a wider, devastating conflict. “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.” He described the sentiment in India as “enough is enough,” pointing out that terror groups operate openly in Pakistan like corporate entities.
Pahalgam Attack Was Economic Warfare
The minister characterized the recent terror attack in Pahalgam as “economic warfare” aimed at crippling the tourism industry in Kashmir. He confirmed that India’s “Operation Sindoor” was a direct retaliation for this massacre, targeting terror infrastructure inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. In response to the attack claimed by Lashkar-e-Taiba’s proxy, The Resistance Front (TRF), Indian forces struck terror hotbeds in Bahawalpur and Muridke.
Rebuttal of Trump’s Claims
During the session, Jaishankar also refuted President Donald Trump’s assertion that he used trade negotiations to de-escalate the recent India-Pakistan conflict. Jaishankar clarified that India’s dealings with Pakistan are bilateral and were not linked to trade talks. He recounted being present when Prime Minister Narendra Modi remained “impervious” to threats of a massive assault from Pakistan conveyed by US officials, and instead indicated a firm response from India would be forthcoming.
