Jaishankar Unleashes India’s Sindoor Doctrine

Source: PTI

 

Jaishankar warns terrorists of zero tolerance, says India won't fall for nuclear blackmail

 

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday reaffirmed India’s stance on terrorism being unyielding. He stated that the world had to embrace a policy of ‘zero tolerance’ and that Operation Sindoor was a watershed moment in India’s response to cross-border attacks.

The comments were made before the Washington DC meeting of the foreign ministers of the Quad, and days after India conducted precision strikes under Operation Sindoor in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

 

Victims, Perpetrators Should Never Be Equated

 

In a stern message from Washington, Jaishankar asserted that “terrorists cannot be allowed to operate with impunity,” emphasizing that victims and perpetrators should never be equated.

“Such a notion that they are on the other side of the border and therefore out of reach of retribution is not acceptable,” he stated. Discussing India’s reaction following the Pahalgam attack, he furthered, “That was a suggestion we rejected, and that’s precisely what we did.”

 

India Will Do What It Must to Defend Its People

 

Jaishankar, in his previous interview with Newsweek CEO Dev Pragad in New York, emphasized that India would no longer ‘fall for nuclear blackmail’ of terror-state sponsors.

“If they come and do something here, we’ll go there and strike the ones who are responsible. There won’t be a free pass anymore because they’re proxies. And we’ll do what we need to do,” he added.

 

What Was Operation Sindoor?

 

The operation was spurred by the April 22 Baisaran attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives. Operation Sindoor witnessed Indian armed forces striking terror infrastructure run by Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.

From May 7 to May 10, India preemptively struck across the border with accuracy. Pakistan responded in kind, launching attempts against Indian military installations, only to trigger more of an Indian response against radar installations, command posts, and so forth.

 

Ceasefire After Four Days of Fierce Combat

 

Following four days of firing, Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations called his Indian counterpart on a hotline, and a ceasefire was announced on May 10.

Indian leaders have since reiterated, time and again, that Operation Sindoor is the new norm: high-cost repercussions against cross-border terrorism.

 

Indo-Pacific Front and Quad Summit

 

Jaishankar also reiterated the Quad’s collective commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” hailing it as a shared strategic priority.

“The message is clear, zero tolerance to terrorism, no immunity to proxies, and India will defend itself, decisively,” Jaishankar stated.