Jaishankar stresses zero tolerance for terror in phone call with Australian counterpart

NEw new delhi: extraneous affairs government minister S Jaishankar on mon emphasised republic of india’s policy of zero tolerance for terrorism during a phone call with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong, a day after New Delhi signalled it would respond to cross-border terrorism with strikes deep inside Pakistan. “Discussed recent developments and the importance of zero tolerance against terrorism,” Jaishankar said in a social media post after his conversation with Wong, who spoke to him for the first time after being reappointed as Australia’s foreign minister after recent elections. India has set a new normal in dealing with terrorism emanating from Pakistan through Operation Sindoor, the military operation launched on May 7 in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22 that killed 26 people. India carried out precision attacks on terrorist infrastructure at nine locations, triggering four days of intense strikes and counter-strikes that ended when the two sides reached an understanding on halting military actions on Saturday. Wong said in a social media post that she had called Jaishankar and Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar as many Australians are “concerned by recent hostilities between India and Pakistan”. She said she had spoken to her Indian and Pakistani counterparts to “welcome the ceasefire and urge respect for its terms”. Wong added, “De-escalation and counter-terrorism efforts are critical to regional peace & security.” A readout from Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Dar told Wong that Pakistan had shown restraint throughout the crisis and exercised its right to self-defence in line with the UN Charter. “Pakistan would continue to work in a responsible manner for maintaining regional peace and security,” Dar said. The readout quoted Wong as expressing concern at the situation and conveying condolences over the loss of lives, including in the recent hijacking of the Jaffar Express train by Baloch militants. Wong welcomed the announcement of a truce between Pakistan and India and “expressed hope it would lead to lasting peace”. India has continued its outreach to key strategic partners around the globe to explain the military actions conducted under Operation Sindoor and its rationale for striking terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir after New Delhi and Islamabad reached the understanding to halt firing on Saturday. Soon after the understanding was announced, Jaishankar briefed New Delhi-based diplomats of key countries such as the US, the UK and European Union (EU) member states, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity. Similar briefings are being held for diplomats of other countries, they said. On Sunday, Jaishankar received a call from his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty and apprised him of recent developments and “emphasised the importance of zero tolerance for terrorism in all forms”. He also discussed economic cooperation prospects between India and Egypt, Jaishankar said in a social media post. The India-Pakistan situation also figured in a phone call on Sunday between US secretary of state Marco Rubio and UK foreign secretary David Lammy, according to a readout from the US state department. Rubio and Lammy “emphasised the need for both sides to maintain the ceasefire and to continue to communicate”, the readout said. Rubio expressed “US support for direct dialogue between India and Pakistan and encouraged continued efforts to improve communications”, it said. Lammy also spoke to Dar on Monday and discussed the latest developments in the region. Operation Sindoor, which has not concluded, has set a new normal for dealing with cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan and India’s ferocious response forced Islamabad’s hand, people familiar with the matter said. New Delhi’s actions made it clear to both Pakistan and international interlocutors that India will raise the cost for backing and financing terror groups based in Pakistan, they said. The Indian side has also made it clear that there will be a forceful response to any further actions taken by Pakistan, the people said.