Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday urged the global community to come together on the matter of terrorism, stressing that there must be "zero tolerance to terrorism in all its forms and manifestations."
"We strongly believe that there must be zero tolerance for terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. In that context, it is also essential that we never yield to nuclear blackmail. This is a shared and interconnected challenge for the global community and it is imperative that there is strong international cooperation and understanding on the matter," India's top diplomat told reporters while addressing the press alongside European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas in Brussels.
Jaishankar, who is on an official European tour till June 14, underlined that India's military action against terror infrastructure in Pakistan should not be viewed as a conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours; instead, it should be seen as "India vs Terroristan".
"I'd like you to understand, this is not a conflict between two states per say. This is actually a response to the threat and to the practice of terrorism. So, I would urge you to make it, don't think of it as India-Pakistan, think of it as INDIA vs TERRORISTAN. We will then appreciate it," he stressed.
It is worth noting that India launched Operation Sindoor, carrying out missile strikes on nine locations spread across Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir on May 7, including attacks on the headquarters of proscribed terror organisations, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM*) and Lashkar-e-Taiba's (LeT*).
India's air strikes on terror infrastructure in the neighbouring nation subsequently led to igniting military hostilities between New Delhi and Islamabad, with the latter sending hundreds of drones and missiles to attack defence and civilian installations in India.
However, India's air defence network, led by the Russian-origin S-400 and India's Akash missile system, repelled almost all of those attacks. Eventually, the two countries agreed to a ceasefire on May 10 after the Indian Air Force struck nearly a dozen military bases in Pakistan, inflicting heavy damage on runways, hangars, and radar stations.
*banned terrorist organisations
*banned terrorist organisations
*banned terrorist group