During the phone conversations, Jaishankar is said to have reaffirmed India’s “zero tolerance” policy towards terrorism to the foreign ministers. He spoke to his counterparts from Algeria, Greece, Guyana, Panama, Slovenia, Sierra Leone and Somalia and discussed the Pahalgam attack.
In the wake of the deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that claimed 26 civilian lives, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday held crucial telephonic conversations with his counterparts from seven non-permanent member nations of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The discussions come amid rising global concern and speculation about India’s possible response to the April 22 attack.
Jaishankar reached out to the foreign ministers of Algeria, Greece, Guyana, Panama, Slovenia, Sierra Leone, and Somalia, briefing them on the nature of the attack and its broader implications. The conversations are seen as part of India’s strategic diplomatic outreach, aimed at building international consensus and isolating those supporting terrorism.
UNSC condemns Pahalgam terror attack
The development came days after the UNSC issued a statement condemning the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, but not before Pakistan, backed by China, worked to water it down. The external affairs minister also received a call from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and conveyed to him, India’s resolve to bring the “perpetrators, planners and backers” of this attack to justice. “Appreciate his unequivocal condemnation of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Agreed on the importance of accountability. India is resolved that the perpetrators, planners and backers of this attack are brought to justice,” Jaishankar said in a social media post after the conversation with Guterres.
Besides the seven non-permanent member nations of the UNSC that the external affairs minister reached out to, the other members of the powerful body are Denmark, Greece and Pakistan. In its April 25 statement on the attack, the UNSC condemned it in the “strongest terms” and reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the “most serious” threats to international peace and security.
World leaders express solidarity with India
Several world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, also dialled Modi to condemn the attack. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, UAE President Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Dutch PM Dick Schoof, US Vice President J D Vance, Australian PM Anthony Albanese and Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli also spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Pahalgam terror attack
As many as 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed and more than a dozen others injured in the Pahalgam terror attack which occurred on April 22. This has been one of the biggest terror attacks after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. The government, however, has yet to officially confirm the number of casualties in the terror attack in Pahalgam. Following the terror attack, security forces launched search operations to track down the terrorists responsible. Security has been heightened since the attack, with visuals from the area showing the streets deserted in the usually bustling tourist area.
