'If terrorists are in Pakistan, we will...': EAM S Jaishankar outlines India’s approach to countering terrorism

Outlining India’s approach to counter-terrorism, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that Operation Sindoor is continuing as India will respond if there is another terror attack like the one at Pahalgam and target terrorists if they are operating from Pakistan. In an interview with Netherlands-based NOS, Jaishankar said that India hit terror sites named in the list released by the United Nations. He noted that the UN Security Council regularly releases a list that mentions details regarding major terrorists, their place of residence, and where they operate from.

When asked whether the operation is continuing, Jaishankar responded, “The operation continues because there is a clear message in that operation, that if there are acts of the kind we saw on April 22nd, there will be a response, we will hit the terrorists. If the terrorists are in Pakistan, we will hit them where they are. So, there is a message in continuing the operation. But, continuing the operation is not the same as firing on each other. Right now, there is an agreed cessation of firing and military action."

The External Affairs Minister recalled that 26 tourists were murdered in front of their families after ascertaining their faith in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22. He said that the attack was aimed at harming tourism, which is the mainstay of Kashmir’s economy, and creating religious discord.

On the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jaishankar said, “We had the recent fighting between India and Pakistan. First of all, you have to understand what it was about, it started because it was triggered by a very barbaric terrorist attack in the Indian Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, where 26 tourists were murdered in front of their families after ascertaining their faith and it was done in a way, in which it was intended to harm tourism which is the mainstay of Kashmir’s economy and to create religious discord."

"Deliberately, an element of religion was introduced and to understand that, you got to also see on the Pakistani side, you have a Pakistani leadership, especially their army chief, who is very driven by an extreme religious outlook that the way. So, there is clearly some connection between the views that were expressed and the behaviour that was done," the EAM added. 

Jaishankar said that The Resistance Front (TRF), a group created by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has taken responsibility for the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. He stated that India has identified the attackers and they are linked to LeT.

He recalled how India had informed the UN Security Council’s 1267 Sanctions Committee about TRF in 2023, 2024 and 2024. He even showed the UN list to the journalist during the interview.

When asked whether India was able to catch terrorists who murdered tourists, Jaishankar responded, “I think we were able to identify who they were, because there were pictures of them. The attack, there was a body called The Resistance Front, which took responsibility for the attack, and that’s a body that has been on our radar for a number of years. In 2023, 2024, and 2025, we brought this body to the attention of the UN Security Council’s 1267 sanctions committee, and we said look we see this as a body created by the Lashkar. Lashkar is the main terrorist group in Pakistan, one of the two main terrorist groups and we can see the connection. Well before the April 22nd attack, we had already drawn this to the attention of the United Nations.”

Speaking to NOS, Jaishankar reiterated that India and Pakistan bilaterally agreed to a cessation of firing on May 10 after Indian strikes “compelled the Pakistani military to accept that we need to stop firing at each other.” He mentioned India targeted Pakistan’s eight airbases, making them non-functional.

He said, “What happened was, after the terrorists struck, it was imperative that we have a response because a lack of response, you understand, was impossible in such a situation.”

In response to the Pahalgam attack, Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7, targeting nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), leading to the death of over 100 terrorists affiliated with terror outfits like the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM).

Following the attack, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling across the Line of Control and Jammu and Kashmir as well as attempted drone attacks along the border regions, following which India launched a coordinated attack and damaged radar infrastructure, communication centres, and airfields across airbases in Pakistan. On May 10, India and Pakistan reached an understanding on the cessation of hostilities.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from ANI)

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