India asserts a firm ‘new normal’ on counterterrorism, warning Pakistan of decisive retaliation against any provocation or cross-border terror.
In a strong rebuttal to recent remarks made by Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday underscored that a “new normal” now governs India’s response to terrorism and warned Islamabad against nurturing illusions about avoiding consequences.
MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, responding to a statement by Pakistan’s Foreign Office and Ishaq Dar’s comments during a CNN interview, said: ‘That a nation which has nurtured terrorism on an industrial scale should think that it can escape the consequences is fooling itself. The terrorist infrastructure sites that India destroyed were responsible not only for the deaths of Indians but of many other innocents around the world. There is now a new normal. The sooner Pakistan gets it, the better it is.’
This stern message follows Dar’s claim that Pakistan’s military action was in “self-defence” after India’s May 7 retaliatory strikes under Operation Sindoor, which targeted terror launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The operation was launched after a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam in April claimed the lives of Indian civilians.
While Dar told CNN that Pakistan “did not consider” using nuclear weapons, he attempted to portray India’s precision strikes as “acts of war” and accused New Delhi of trying to assert “hegemony” in the Kashmir region. He added that long-term negotiations are still pending and hoped that “sense will prevail.”
India, however, remains firm on its stance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his first national address after Operation Sindoor, declared, “India has only paused our responsive attack on Pakistan’s terror and military hubs. Operation Sindoor has drawn a new line under the fight against terrorism – this is a new phase, a new normal. If there is a terror attack on India, we will give a jaw-breaking response. India will not tolerate any nuclear blackmail.”
India’s strong counteroffensive and diplomatic posture have sent a clear message to Islamabad: cross-border terrorism will not be ignored, and any provocation will invite swift and decisive retaliation.
With the ceasefire currently held under international mediation, India’s message is unambiguous—terror and talks cannot go hand in hand, and any further provocation will be met with overwhelming force.