NEW DELHI, JUL 2 : In a big diplomatic win for New Delhi, the foreign ministers of the Quad grouping \u2014 comprising India, the United States, Japan and Australia \u2014 condemned the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians, calling for the perpetrators, organisers and financiers to be brought to justice without delay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a joint statement issued after their meeting in Washington, the Quad foreign ministers reiterated their unequivocal opposition to all forms of terrorism and violent extremism, including cross-border terrorism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. We call for the perpetrators, organisers, and financiers of this reprehensible act to be brought to justice without any delay and urge all UN Member States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant UNSCRs, to cooperate actively with all relevant authorities in this regard,” the joint statement read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The Quad unequivocally condemns all acts of terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, and renews our commitment to counterterrorism cooperation,” it added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The grouping also expressed its deepest condolences to the families of the victims and extended its heartfelt wishes for a swift and full recovery to all those injured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Further in the statement, the ministers urged all United Nations member states to “fulfil their obligations under international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions to actively cooperate with authorities investigating the attack”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, along with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Japan\u2019s Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, participated in the Quad Foreign Ministers\u2019 Meeting held at the US Department of State on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ministers discussed a broad range of regional and global issues, with a strong focus on counterterrorism cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jaishankar, who visited the US between June 30 to July 2 at Rubio’s invitation, also held a meeting with him on the sidelines of the Quad session. The two leaders discussed key aspects of the India-US strategic partnership and exchanged views on global and regional developments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the meeting, Jaishankar strongly denounced terrorism and referenced India\u2019s recent counterterrorism operations, including Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“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,” Jaishankar said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On April 22, terrorists opened fire at tourists in the popular Baisaran meadow area of Pahalgam, killing 26 people and injuring several more. Investigations have linked the attackers to Pakistan-based terror groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In response, India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ on May 7, targeting nine key terror infrastructures across Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) through precision strikes carried out by the Indian armed forces. Pakistan retaliated the following night, targeting Indian positions in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab with swarms of drones and artillery strikes. India successfully repelled all attacks and mounted strong counterstrikes, forcing Islamabad to request a ceasefire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following direct military-level talks between New Delhi and Islamabad, the two sides agreed to a formal ceasefire after three days of hostilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-PTI<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" NEW DELHI, JUL 2 : In a big diplomatic win for New Delhi, the foreign ministers of the Quad grouping \u2014 comprising India, the United States, Japan and Australia \u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":139020,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[348],"tags":[14325,63],"class_list":["post-139019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news","tag-external-affair-minister-s-jaisankar","tag-new-delhi"],"yoast_head":"\n