Brussels: India will not tolerate terrorism and is prepared to strike deep inside Pakistan should any terror attacks be launched against it, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar asserted during an interview in Brussels. Speaking firmly on India’s counter-terror posture, Jaishankar said that if provoked, India would not hesitate to hit terrorist targets “deep in Pakistan,” sending a strong message of deterrence to terror groups and their backers.
“India will not live with terrorism anymore,” Jaishankar said, pointing out that Pakistan has historically trained and equipped thousands of terrorists. He emphasized that retribution would be inevitable if such forces attempt to attack India again.
In response to a question about China’s continued support for Pakistan, Jaishankar called out the dangers of selective responses to terrorism. “They have had close ties for decades. But on an issue like terrorism, you cannot afford ambiguity or double standards. In the end, it’s a problem that concerns all of us,” he said.
The minister made it clear that India’s retribution would target not just the foot soldiers but also the leadership and infrastructure of terror outfits. “We don’t care where they are. If they are deep in Pakistan, we will go deep into Pakistan,” he said.
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Referring to India’s military response in the aftermath of previous terror attacks, Jaishankar spoke of Operation Sindoor, during which Indian air and missile strikes significantly damaged Pakistani military assets. “India’s fighter aircraft and missiles had inflicted far more damage on the Pakistani Air Force than vice versa, forcing Pakistan to sue for peace,” he noted.
“As far I’m concerned, how effective the Rafale was or frankly, how effective other systems were—to me the proof of the pudding are the destroyed and disabled airfields on the Pakistani side,” he said. “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 added, noting that satellite imagery available on Google shows runways and hangars visibly damaged.
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Jaishankar also addressed the long-standing issue of Kashmir, reiterating that the root cause is terrorism, not a bilateral dispute. “It has become an India-Pakistan issue because Pakistan harbours and supports terrorists. The conflict is between India and terrorism, not with a specific country…if terrorists attack India, we will hunt them down wherever they are, including in Pakistan,” he said.
