No Nuclear Blackmail Will Halt Anti-Terror Fight: Jaishankar

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IANS)– External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar reiterated India’s firm stance against terrorism and nuclear intimidation, asserting that New Delhi will not be deterred by concerns over Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal in responding to cross-border terror attacks.

In a strongly worded statement during an interview with Newsweek at its headquarters in One World Trade Centre near the 9/11 Memorial in Manhattan, Jaishankar affirmed that India would not give a “free pass” to either terrorists or the states backing them. He emphasized that nuclear threats would not prevent India from acting in its national interest.

“We are very clear there will be no impunity for terrorists, that we will not deal with them any longer as proxies and spare the government which supports and finances and, in many ways, motivates them. We will not allow nuclear blackmail to prevent us from responding,” Jaishankar said.

The EAM directly addressed the longstanding global cautionary view that conflict between India and Pakistan must be carefully handled due to the nuclear capabilities of both nations. “We’ve also heard this for too long — that both India and Pakistan are nuclear countries, and therefore, the other guy will come and do horrible things, but you mustn’t do anything because it gets the world worried,” Jaishankar stated.

He continued, “Now, we are not going to fall for that. If he is going to come and do things, we are going to go there and also hit the people who did this,” drawing applause from the audience. “So, no yielding to nuclear blackmail, no impunity to terrorists, no more free pass that they are proxies. And we will do what we have to do to defend our people.”

Jaishankar stressed that terrorism is a global threat and no country should use it as an instrument of policy, as it ultimately harms everyone. He added that the message to the world is one of zero tolerance for terrorism.

He noted that while India’s experience with terrorism has intensified over the last four decades, it originated shortly after Independence with terrorists being sent into Kashmir, followed by the Pakistani Army. He recalled significant incidents like the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and the 2001 Parliament attack.

Jaishankar specifically referenced the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 innocent tourists, describing it as a calculated attempt at economic warfare aimed at destroying Kashmir’s tourism sector. He also highlighted its intent to provoke religious violence by targeting individuals based on their faith.

He also Joined the inauguration of exhibition on ‘The Human Cost of Terrorism’ at the UN headquarters in New York. “Appreciated UN Security Council’s strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack, and the need to hold its perpetrators accountable,” he said.