In an interview with Politico, a European media outlet, Jaishankar warned that India stands ready to take action anywhere in Pakistan in response to provocations from cross-border terrorism.
“We will not tolerate it. Our message to them is clear: if they persist in the kind of barbaric actions witnessed in April, there will be consequences, specifically aimed at terrorist organizations and their leadership,” Jaishankar emphasized.
“And we won’t be deterred by their location. If they are deep in Pakistan, we will pursue them there,” he added.
Jaishankar is currently in Brussels, Belgium, for high-level trade discussions with European Union leaders. He further pointed out that Pakistan is openly training thousands of terrorists and employs this as a state mechanism to instigate turmoil in India.
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“Pakistan is deeply entrenched in using terrorism as an instrument of its state policy. That is the crux of the issue,” he remarked, elaborating that India’s strikes on the morning of May 10 targeted Pakistani airbases and resulted in a ceasefire ‘understanding’ between the two nations.
“The fighting ceased on the 10th for one reason: that morning, we struck the eight main Pakistani airfields, rendering them inoperative,” Jaishankar stated.
“And don’t just take my word for it; there are images available on Google. You can verify the condition of those runways and hangars that took the hits,” he added.
In another interview with the French publication, Le Figaro, Jaishankar underscored that the primary concern is terrorism, emphasizing that it has become a mutual issue for India and Pakistan due to Islamabad’s continued harboring and support of terrorist activities.
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When questioned about the situation in Kashmir, he clarified that the underlying dispute revolves around terrorism, which has inflicted harm on the country historically as well.
He firmly stated that India will track terrorists wherever they are located, including within Pakistan, asserting that as long as cross-border terrorism persists, India will take all necessary measures for self-defense.
