Jaishankar, who is currently visiting Europe a month after India launched Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam attack, questioned Euractiv. He was responding to a question about the recent four-day conflict between India and Pakistan
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. File Pic.
External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar has stated that the recent India's confrontation with Pakistan was not merely a conflict between two countries, but a crucial fight against terrorism, which he believes will eventually pose a threat to Western nations.
In an interview with the European news website 'Euractiv' on Wednesday, S. Jaishankar advocated for an EU-India free trade agreement. He highlighted that India, a nation of 1.4 billion people, offers skilled labour and a more reliable economic partnership compared to China, reported by PTI.
"Let me remind you of something, there was a man named Osama bin Laden. Why did he, of all people, feel safe living for years in a Pakistani military town, right next to their equivalent of West Point?" Jaishankar, who is currently visiting Europe a month after India launched Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam attack, questioned Euractiv. He was responding to a question about the recent four-day conflict between India and Pakistan.
"I want the world to understand, this isn't merely an India-Pakistan issue. It's about terrorism. And that very same terrorism will eventually come back to haunt you," he stated, criticising the international media for portraying Operation Sindoor as a tit-for-tat exchange between two nuclear-armed neighbours.
The recent tensions between India and Pakistan escalated following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which tragically claimed 26 lives. India subsequently carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7. The on-ground hostilities between India and Pakistan, which lasted for four days, concluded with an agreement to cease military actions after talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10.
When asked why India has not joined Western sanctions against Russia, Jaishankar responded that differences cannot be resolved through warfare, according to PTI.
"We don't believe that differences can be resolved through war, we don't believe a solution will come from the battlefield. It's not for us to prescribe what that solution should be. My point is, we're not being prescriptive or judgemental, but we are also not uninvolved," he explained.
He also clarified that India maintains a strong relationship with Ukraine, not solely with Russia. "But every country, naturally, considers its own experience, history and interests," he added.
Jaishankar further said, "India has the longest-standing grievance, our borders were violated just months after independence, when Pakistan sent invaders to Kashmir. And the countries that were most supportive of those Western countries." He then stated, "If those same countries, who were evasive or reticent then, now say 'let's have a great conversation about international principles', I think I'm justified in asking them to reflect on their own past."
Regarding India's position in the new geopolitical order, he commented on, "Multipolarity is already here. Europe now faces the need to make more decisions in its own interest, using its own capabilities, and based on the relationships it fosters globally."
"I hear terms like 'strategic autonomy' being used in Europe, these were once part of our vocabulary," he said, adding that the EU is a significant and increasingly autonomous pole in the global order, and India aims to deepen this relationship in a multipolar world.
On the subject of the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), he noted that India is not entirely opposed but has "deep reservations." "Let's not pretend, we're opposed to parts of it. We have very deep reservations about CBAM and we've been quite open about it. The idea that one part of the world will set standards for everybody else is something which we are against," he explained.
According to PTI, the CBAM is the EU's proposed tax on carbon emissions from goods imported from countries like India and China. This initiative has sparked debate in multilateral forums, including UN climate conferences, as poorer nations worry such tariffs will harm livelihoods and economic growth.
Concerning US-India relations, Jaishankar stated, "Our aim is to advance every relationship that serves our interests and the US relationship is of immense importance to us. It's not about personality X or president Y."
Regarding ties with China, the Minister mentioned meeting several European companies in India that have chosen to establish themselves there specifically to diversify their supply chains. "Many companies are becoming increasingly careful about where they locate their data. They'd rather place it somewhere secure and trustworthy than simply go for efficiency. Would you really want that in the hands of actors you don't feel comfortable with?" he questioned.
(With inputs from PTI)
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