Jaishankar's harsh reminder to West over Operation Sindoor narrative: 'Why did Osama bin Laden feel safe in Pakistan?'

S Jaishankar (File)

External affairs minister S Jaishankar continued his broadside against Pakistan over its deep terror links, questioning why a dreaded terrorist like Osama bin Laden felt safe in the country for many years.

In an interview to European news website 'Euractiv' on Wednesday, Jaishankar said that the four-day military conflict between India and Pakistan isn't just a bilateral issue but a broader problem pertaining to terrorism. The minister is currently in Brussels to meet the European Union (EU) leaders in the aftermath of military tensions between India and Pakistan.

"I want the world to understand – this isn’t merely an India–Pakistan issue. It’s about terrorism. And that very same terrorism will eventually come back to haunt you," he said while criticising the international media for framing Operation Sindoor as a tit-for-tat between two nuclear-armed neighbours.

He also recalled the dramatic killing of 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden by US military in 2011 after he was located in Pakistan's Abbottabad.

"Let me remind you of something – there was a man named Osama bin Laden. Why did he, of all people, feel safe living for years in a Pakistani military town, right next to their equivalent of West Point?" Jaishankar told Euractiv.

The fact that the world’s most wanted terrorist had been living undetected in a high-walled compound just a few hundred meters from the Pakistan Military Academy deeply embarrassed the Pakistani establishment and led to widespread international criticism about the country's covert support to militant groups.

During the interview, Jaishankar also reminded the West of its position on the India-Pakistan conflict back in 1947 when questioned about India's stance on Russia.

Asked why India didn't join the West's sanctions against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, Jaishankar said that differences cannot be resolved through war.

"We don’t believe that differences can be resolved through war – we don’t believe a solution will come from the battlefield. It’s not for us to prescribe what that solution should be. My point is, we’re not being prescriptive or judgemental – but we are also not uninvolved," he said.

He said India has a strong relationship with Ukraine as well – it’s not only about Russia. "But every country, naturally, considers its own experience, history and interests," he added.

"India has the longest-standing grievance – our borders were violated just months after independence, when Pakistan sent in invaders to Kashmir. And the countries that were most supportive of that? Western countries," he said.

He added that the same Western countries who were "evasive or reticent" then are now pushing a discussion on "international principles".

"I think I’m justified in asking them to reflect on their own past," he said.