Washington: The Quad grouping has called for bringing the perpetrators, organisers, and financiers of the Pahalgam terror attack to justice without any delay and urged UN member nations to extend cooperation for it.
The foreign ministers of the four-nation grouping condemned the April 22 attack in the strongest terms that claimed the lives of 26 civilians and firmly pitched for action against cross-border terrorism.
In a joint statement, the ministers, however, did not mention Pakistan or the four-day military conflict between the Indian and Pakistani militaries in May.
Speaking to the media before the meeting in Washington, DC, Jaishankar also stressed that the world should have zero tolerance for terrorism. He said those who suffer from terrorism and those who carry it out should never be seen as the same. “A word about terrorism in the light of our recent experience, the world must display zero tolerance. Victims and perpetrators must never be equated. And India has every right to defend its people against terrorism, and we will exercise that right. We expect our Quad partners to understand and appreciate that,” he said.
Shortly after, all foreign ministers from the US, Japan, Australia, and India released a joint statement strongly condemning the April 22 terror attack in J&K’s Pahalgam, where 26 people were mercilessly killed. They called for those responsible to be caught and punished.
“We call for the perpetrators, organizers, and financiers of this reprehensible act to be brought to justice without any delay and urge all UN Member States, by their obligations under international law and relevant UNSCRs, to cooperate actively with all relevant authorities in this regard,” part of the statement read.
Jaishankar had described the Quad meeting as “very productive” and mentioned that the group talked about ways to make the Quad more effective and better able to deal with today’s key challenges and opportunities.
Before the meeting, Jaishankar had said that it would help improve peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and support keeping the area free and open. He said all four countries are committed to protecting this freedom by supporting international rules. He also stressed that countries in the region should have the freedom to make their own choices about development and security.
Jaishankar also mentioned that the Quad had made good progress in recent months in areas like in areas of maritime cooperation, logistics, education, and political coordination. He said the goal of the Quad is to strengthen shared interests and increase cooperation. He said the Quad is about “deepening our convergence and expanding our common ground”.
Jaishankar also shared that India plans to host the next Quad Summit. This was his second Quad foreign ministers’ meeting this year The first one was held in January, right after US President Donald Trump’s inauguration in Washington DC.
