UNSC statement on Pahalgam answer to opposition's questions, says EAM Jaishankar

EAM S Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Monday said that the statement of the United Nations Security Council on Pahalgam is the answer to question's raised by the opposition.

He made this remark during the discussion on Operation Sindoor in Lok Sabha. He said that the challenging part of India was to get an endorsement from the UNSC as currently Pakistan is a member of the the security body and India is not

"The focus for our diplomacy was the UN Security Council. The challenge for us was that at this particular point, Pakistan is a member of the Security Council and we are not... Our goals in the Security Council were two: 1- to get an endorsement from the Security Council of the need for accountability, and 2- to bring to justice those who perpetrated this attack," said Jaishankar.

The UN body in its statement in April condemned the terror attack in the strongest terms and called to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors behind this attack accountable.

"The members of the Security Council reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.  They reaffirmed the need for all States to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other obligations under international law, including international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts," the Security Council said in its statement.

Earlier, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, while speaking on Operation Sindoor,  said that Indian armed forces struck at multiple air bases in Pakistan on May 10. These air bases included Nur Khan Air Base (Rawalpindi), PAF Base Mushaf (Sargodha), Bholari Air Base, and PAF Base Shahbaz (Jacobabad).

"On 10th May, when the Indian Air Force struck hard at multiple airfields in Pakistan, Pakistan admitted defeat and offered to cease hostilities. This offer was accepted with the caveat that this Operation has only been paused. If any misadventure occurs from Pakistan's side in the future, this Operation will be resumed," said Singh during the discussion on India's response to Pahalgam terror attack in the Lok Sabha.

Singh further said that when looking to achieve something higher, focus must not remain on small issues.

"When the aim is to go higher, we should not pay attention to small issues because focusing on issues that remain comparatively small can divert attention from national security," Singh said.

"It is the job of the ruling side to work while keeping in mind the interests of the people, and the opposition's job is to question the government on issues concerning the public...There have been instances where the opposition has inquired about the number of our planes that fell. I don't think this question by the opposition correctly represents our national sentiment. They never asked us a single time how many planes of the enemy were destroyed by our armed forces," Singh added.

Additionally, the Minister said that the terrorist camps in Pakistan were destroyed during Operation Sindoor.

"If they want to pose questions, their question should be whether we destroyed the terrorist camps? The answer is yes. If you have a question to ask, ask this: Were any of our brave soldiers harmed in this operation? The answer is no, none of our soldiers were harmed. If you have a question to ask, ask whether terrorists who wiped the Sindoor off our sisters and daughters have been dealt with by our forces in Operation Sindoor, eliminating their masters? The answer is yes," Singh said.