Terrorism is an "open business" in Pakistan that is financed, organised and used by the state and its military, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said.
Speaking to German newspaper on Monday Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) during his visit to Berlin, Jaishankar made a strong case against Pakistan's involvement in terrorism, while also clarifying that despite recent military tensions between India and Pakistan, there was never any real threat of a nuclear conflict.
In response to a question about the possibility of nuclear escalation, Jaishankar expressed surprise and concern over what he called a misplaced perception. “Very, very far away. I'm frankly astonished by your question,” he said, when asked how close the world came to a nuclear confrontation. “At no point was a nuclear level reached. There is a narrative as if everything that happens in our part of the world leads directly to a nuclear problem. That disturbs me a lot because it encourages terrible activities like terrorism.”
He criticised the West’s tendency to link South Asian conflicts to nuclear danger, which, according to him, detracts from the real issue: state-sponsored terrorism from Pakistan.
Addressing the link between Pakistan and the terrorists responsible for the April 22 Pahalgam attack, Jaishankar said the connection was plain to see. “Anyone who is not blind can see that the terrorist organisations are openly operating from the cities and towns of Pakistan. That is no secret,” he said. “The UN Security Council terror list is full of Pakistani names and places, and these are the very places we have targeted. So please don't think that something is only going on behind the scenes.”
He went on to state, “In Pakistan, terrorism is a very open business. A business that is supported, financed, organised and used by the state. And by their military.” Jaishankar was in Berlin on the final leg of a three-nation tour, which also included the Netherlands and Denmark. He used the visit to present India’s viewpoint on regional security and global diplomacy.
When asked about India’s response to the Pahalgam attack, Jaishankar said that India had sent a clear and firm message to the perpetrators that acts of terror would have consequences. “The firing was then started by the Pakistani military. We fired back in self-defense and once the Pakistanis understood that they were taking a harmful course, we were able to stop firing,” he said.
He confirmed that since May 10, the situation had remained calm following a mutual understanding between the two countries’ militaries to cease hostilities. “This situation has not changed for two weeks, that is the status,” he said.
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Regarding the role of the United States in reaching the ceasefire agreement, Jaishankar clarified that the understanding was reached directly between Indian and Pakistani military commanders, without any external mediation. “So who should I thank for the cessation of hostilities? I thank the Indian military because it was the Indian military action that made Pakistan say: We are ready to stop,” he said.
When asked whether China played any role in the conflict, Jaishankar did not offer a direct answer but pointed out that many of Pakistan’s weapons are of Chinese origin. “Many of the weapons systems that Pakistan has are of Chinese origin and the two countries are very close. You can draw your own conclusions from that,” he remarked.
The military engagement between the two neighbours had escalated following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. In retaliation, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, carrying out precision air strikes on nine terror infrastructure sites in Pakistan. Over the next three days — May 8, 9, and 10 — Pakistan attempted to strike Indian military bases, but those attempts were effectively repelled by Indian forces.
On May 10, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced that India and Pakistan had reached an agreement to immediately halt all military actions — on land, air, and sea — and to maintain peace along the borders. In the interview, Jaishankar was also asked why India and Germany, despite their strategic partnership, could not find common ground on Russia’s war in Ukraine. He responded by highlighting the difference in global outlooks.
“For you in Europe, other concerns and worries are important than for me in Asia. When you think of conflict, you think of Ukraine,” he said. “When I think of conflict, I think of Pakistan, terrorism, China and our borders. Our perspective cannot be the same,” Jaishankar concluded.
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