S Jaishankar’s big message from Europe: ‘Conflict not between India-Pakistan, but India-Terroristan’

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists

External affairs minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Tuesday reiterated India’s ‘zero tolerance’ for terrorism as he spoke about the recent military conflict with Pakistan during a joint press conference in Brussels.

Addressing the briefing with European Union High Representative and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kalla, Jaishankar said, “This is not a conflict between two states. This is actually a response to the threat and practice of terrorism. So, I would urge you not to think of it as India-Pakistan, but think of it as ‘India-Terroristan’.”

Asserting that terrorism is a shared and interconnected challenge for the global community, Jaishankar mentioned that it is imperative that there is a strong international cooperation and understanding on the matter.

“We strongly believe that there should 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,” the EAM said.

Jaishankar on Tuesday met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and praised her "strong condemnation" of the Pahalgam attack and solidarity in combating terrorism.

During the meeting, Jaishankar and von der Leyen also discussed efforts that are underway to deepen the India-EU partnership.

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists. Following this, India carried out precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Earlier, in an interview, Jaishankar highlighted the reason behind the cessation of hostilities between the two nations. He said India’s strikes on eight Pakistani airbases on May 10 was the turning point in the conflict.

"The fighting stopped on the 10th for one reason and one reason only, which was that on the 10th morning we hit these eight Pakistani, the main eight Pakistani airfields and disabled them," he told US website Politico.