Quad condemns Pahalgam terror attack, takes aim at China in Washington summit

WAshington: The four-nation space pigeonholing came unitedly to decry the Pahalgam terrorist attacks and state concern about China’s aggressive military activities here in Washington DC during the Quad Foreign Ministers meeting. The grouping includes India, America, Japan and Australia.“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,” the four nations said in a joint statement before going on to condemn the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people in April this year.“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, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant UNSCRs, to cooperate actively with all relevant authorities in this regard,” the statement goes on to say. Earlier on Tuesday, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told members of the press that India reserves the right to defend itself against acts of terror and expects its Quad partners to understand its strategic rationale.The four nations also expressed concerns over a host of Chinese military and diplomatic activities across the Indo-Pacific region. The spotlight was on China’s aggressive military posture in the South and East China Sea. Japan and Australia - in particular - have faced heightened military pressure from Beijing. In early 2025, Chinese naval forces conducted live-fire exercises in international waters near Australia, which alarmed Canberra.“We express our serious concerns regarding dangerous and provocative actions, including interference with offshore resource development, the repeated obstruction of the freedoms of navigation and overflight, and the dangerous maneuvers by military aircraft and coast guard and maritime militia vessels, especially the unsafe use of water cannons and ramming or blocking actions in the South China Sea. These actions threaten peace and stability in the region,” reads the joint statement. North Korea and the evolving civil war in Myanmar were also discussed by the four top diplomats.In an effort to streamline the working of the group, the Quad has been reorganised to focus on four key areas including maritime and transnational security, critical and emerging technologies, economic prosperity and humanitarian assistance. Ahead of India hosting the key Quad Leaders’ level summit later this year, the four countries also unveiled new initiatives. The Quad Critical Minerals Initiative was launched on Tuesday with a focus on securing critical supply chains. A new training exercise later this year will strengthen shared airlift capacity and joint logistics operations in an effort to improve emergency response capabilities. Plans for a Quad Ports of the Future Partnership - set to be launched in Mumbai this year - were also unveiled. With the conclusion of the Foreign Ministers meeting, the focus will shift to the leaders level summit later this year hosted by India.