“Terrorists Will Not Be Treated as Proxies”: S Jaishankar Tells Parliament

In a charged Rajya Sabha session on Wednesday during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar delivered a detailed and passionate address regarding Operation Sindoor and India’s evolving policy toward Pakistan and cross-border terrorism. From the outset, Jaishankar left no doubts about the government’s resolve, declaring, “Blood and water cannot flow together,” as he explained India’s decision to put the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance until Pakistan ends its support for terror.

Jaishankar described the nation’s grief and anger following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, saying, “The manner in which people were killed in front of their families… angered the country. There was grief. There was shock. Across the world there was solidarity, but the question was what after that? Such an attack was absolutely unacceptable. It crossed our red lines. There had to be severe consequences. And, there had to be accountability and justice. The perpetrators and their supporters had to be brought to justice”.

He highlighted the swift decisions taken by the government, including canceling Pakistani visas under SAARC, expelling military advisers, and—most significantly—suspending the Indus Water Treaty. “It is a very unique agreement. I cannot think of any agreement in the world where a country has allowed its major rivers to flow to the next country without having rights on that river. We had warned that blood and water cannot flow together. Today we are demonstrating that what we say we do”.

Turning to Operation Sindoor, Jaishankar was emphatic on its objectives: “The objective of Operation Sindoor was hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed. Our actions are focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for the attack will be held accountable”.

He reproached the opposition for their earlier approach: “People who did nothing, to have that temerity, that gumption today, to ask a Government which did so much, which brought down Bahawalpur and Muridke, to say why didn’t you do more—I think it’s extraordinary. Anybody who says that some other party brought this about is disrespecting the Indian armed forces. The Indian armed forces ensured this. It was our bombing. It was our strikes. That is what happened on 10th May. That is why they said, okay, we are now willing to accept this”.

Responding to questions and criticism about the past, Jaishankar quoted Parliament history, “On November 30th, 1960… PM [Nehru] also said, ‘Let me do this treaty for the interest of Pakistani Punjab, not a word about farmers of Kashmir or Punjab. Not a word about Rajasthan or Gujarat’”.

He emphasised India’s uncompromising stand: “There will be no mediation, anything between us and Pakistan is bilateral. We will never bow down to nuclear blackmail. If the fighting is to stop, Pakistan must request it… through the designated channel of DGMOs. The new normal is clear: terrorists will not be treated as proxies, cross-border terrorism will get an appropriate response, and terror and talks are not possible together. There will only be talks on terror. And, terror and good neighbourliness cannot coexist”.

Jaishankar also recognised the role of Parliament and Indian diplomacy in articulating India’s position abroad, stating, “We have had seven parliamentary delegations which went to thirty-three countries… These delegations did the nation proud. They were able to explain to the world our posture of zero tolerance against terrorism. There must not be any division of opinion. The way parliamentary delegations behaved abroad, I hope the same solidarity will permeate the proceedings of the House”.

Throughout his speech, Jaishankar invoked history, policy, and national pride to underline the gravity of India’s position. His closing words resonated with a call for unity: “We can only succeed in ensuring zero tolerance against terrorism if we have a united voice in this country against terrorism.”

Long or Short, get news the way you like. No ads. No redirections. Download Newspin and Stay Alert, The CSR Journal Mobile app, for fast, crisp, clean updates!

App Store –  https://apps.apple.com/in/app/newspin/id6746449540 

Google Play Store – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.inventifweb.newspin&pcampaignid=web_share