“Things have changed after Modi ji’s arrival”: External Affairs Minister Jaishankar vows to give strong response to Pakistan terrorism

Promising to give a befitting reply to Pakistan’s cross-border terrorism, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed power, unlike previous governments, India’s approach to handling the neighboring country has changed. , He said that actions like Uri and Balakot were taken over by the Modi government.

“As far as Pakistan is concerned, there is a history of cross-border terrorism. But you also know that we were tolerating it until the Modi government came. We were turning the other cheek. We were not acting. After Modi ji came, things have changed,” External Affairs Minister Jaishankar said.

“You saw Uri, Balakot. So we have made it clear today that any threat of terrorism, cross-border terrorism coming from Pakistan will receive an appropriate response from India,” he said.

Addressing the ongoing Israel-Iran tension in the Middle East, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar highlighted that protecting the 90 lakh citizens living in the Gulf region and working on both military and diplomatic fronts to de-escalate the situation It is India’s responsibility.

“In the entire Gulf region and parts of Western Asia, war situation and tension prevail… Nearly 90 lakh Indian citizens live in the Gulf region. It is our responsibility to take care of them… The rulers of Gulf countries give so much importance to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that they gave preference to Indians during Covid.

“Now, 21 Indian Navy ships have been deployed in the region and their job is to maintain peace and protect merchant vessels. In the diplomatic arena, when both sides clashed with each other for a short time, I contacted the foreign ministers of both the countries and gave them Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message that the world wants them not to go ahead with the war, and that They should reduce stress responsibly. And this is what happened,” he added.

On April 12, after a report by leading British daily The Guardian claimed that the country’s external spy agency RAW flushed out wanted terrorists inside Pakistan on the orders of the Centre, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar warned that Pakistan would respond to any act of terrorism. Underlined the government’s unwavering commitment. Executed from across the border.

Drawing comparisons with the previous Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, regarding its response to the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, the External Affairs Minister said a country “cannot have any rules” to deal with perpetrators of terror. “. Since the latter do not play by the rules.

“After the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, the UPA government held various rounds of discussions and only reached the conclusion that ‘the cost of attacking Pakistan is higher than the cost of not attacking it.’ “If something like Mumbai happens, if you don’t react to it, how can you prevent the next incident from happening?” The External Affairs Minister said this while interacting with the youth of Pune on the occasion of the release of the Marathi translation of his book ‘Why India Matters’.

“They (terrorists) should not think: We are on this side of the line, so no one can attack us. Terrorists don’t play by any rules. There cannot be any rules to respond to terrorists,” the External Affairs Minister said.

Asked which country is the most difficult when it comes to maintaining and developing good bilateral relations, Jaishankar pointed towards Pakistan because of the cross-border terrorist acts carried out in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. Had mentioned.

He said that Pakistan had sent tribal people from its north-western part to carry out attacks in the erstwhile Indian province, but the government labeled them ‘infiltrators’ and not ‘terrorists’, almost to the point of saying that they were a ‘ ‘Represent legitimate power’.

“Narendra Modi came (to become Prime Minister) only in 2014, but this problem did not start in 2014. “It started in 1947, not even after the Mumbai terrorist attacks (26/11).” It started in 1947. First of all, in 1947, people from Pakistan came to Kashmir and attacked Kashmir… this was terrorism. They were blazing towns and cities. They were killing people. Jaishankar said, these were people from Pakistan’s North-Western Front…Pakistan Army put them in the front line and asked them to completely disrupt Kashmir, ‘we will come after you’.

“what did we do? We sent the army and then the integration of Kashmir happened. The army was doing its work but we stopped. After that we went to the UN. If you see, there is not a single word of terrorism in it (India’s earlier demand before the UN on Kashmir dispute). It calls tribal invasion, as if it were a legitimate force. In 1965, Pakistan Army sent infiltrators before attacking… We have to keep our mentality very clear. Jaishankar said, terrorism is not acceptable under any circumstances.

In May last year, the External Affairs Minister had said that “victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism”.

Addressing a press conference after the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the SCO, Jaishankar hit out at then Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari over his remarks on ‘weaponising terrorism’.

“Victims of terrorism do not sit with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism. Victims of terrorism defend themselves, respond to acts of terrorism, they call for it and that is exactly what is happening. Jaishankar said, coming here and propagating these hypocritical words as if we are in the same boat.