New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday conveyed to his British counterpart David Lammy India’s policy of “zero tolerance” for terrorism while discussing the “cross-border” links to the dastardly terror attack in Pahalgam.
As relations between New Delhi and Islamabad reeled under severe strain following Tuesday’s terror attack that killed 26 civilians, Lammy also spoke to Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar.
The Pakistan Foreign Office said the British foreign secretary emphasised the need for de-escalation of the situation.
Citing “cross-border linkages” to the horrific Pahalgam attack, India has promised severe punishment to those involved in the strike that triggered wide-spread outrage within India and abroad. Following his phone conversation with the British foreign secretary, Jaishankar said he underlined the importance of “zero tolerance” for terrorism.
“Spoke to Foreign Secretary @DavidLammy of the UK today. Discussed the cross-border terrorist attack at Pahalgam. Underlined the importance of zero tolerance for terrorism,” the external affairs minister said in a social media post.
The Pakistan Foreign Office said Deputy Prime Minister Dar spoke to Lammy and “reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering resolve to defend its national interests while continuing to promote peace and stability in the region”. Dar is also Pakistan’s foreign minister.
The Pakistan Foreign Office, in a post on ‘X’, said Dar apprised Lammy about India’s “unilateral” measures including “illegal decision” to put Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance and said it is a “clear violation” of New Delhi’s international obligations. It said Lammy “emphasised the importance of de-escalating the situation through dialogue and peaceful resolution of issues”.
India announced a raft of punitive measures against Pakistan on Wednesday, including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting down of the only operational land border crossing at Attari and downgrading of diplomatic ties in view of cross-border links to the attack.
In response, Pakistan on Thursday shut its airspace to Indian airliners and suspended all trade with India, including through third countries. Pakistan also rejected India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and said any move to stop the flow of water will be seen as an “act of war”.
The Jaishankar-Lammy phone conversation came three days after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer dialled Prime Minister Narendra Modi to condemn the “barbaric” terror attack in Pahalgam.
In the last few days, several world leaders spoke to PM Modi to condemn the terror attack.
The leaders who dialled Modi include US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, UAE President Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Dutch PM Dick Schoof, US Vice President J D Vance, Australian PM Anthony Albanese and Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli also spoke to Modi.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Modi said the “perpetrators and conspirators” of the Pahalgam attack will be “served with the harshest response”.
“The whole world stands with 140 crore Indians in our fight against terrorism. I once again assure the affected families that they will get justice, and justice will be done,” Modi said in his ‘Mann ki Baat’ address.
“The perpetrators and conspirators of this attack will be served with the harshest response,” he said.
