- By Nidhi Giri
- Fri, 23 May 2025 10:27 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
External affairs minister S Jaishankar lashed out at Pakistan in a recent interview with Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant. Jaishankar called out the neighbouring country and rejected the idea that Islamabad was unaware of terrorists operating from its soil, adding that “the state is involved” and that “the army is up to its neck in it.” The external affairs minister is in the Netherlands for a diplomatic trip to strengthen India-Dutch ties.
Jaishankar also lauded ‘Operation Sindoor’ against Pakistan and said that the nation "deserves appreciation for its action against terror". Since the April 22 Pahalgam attack, India has taken a series of stringent diplomatic and security measures to respond to Pakistan’s continued support for cross-border terrorism. India responded to the attack in Jammu and Kashmir by launching Operation Sindoor, targeting nine infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir in the intervening night of May 6-7.
EAM Jaishankar further stated that "let's not pretend that Pakistan is not involved".
When questioned about an earlier statement of his terming Pakistan as an "epicentre of terrorism", he said, "I am not suggesting that, I am stating that" (Islamabad backs terrorist groups active in its motherland).
"Suppose that there were large military centres in the middle of a city like Amsterdam where tens of thousands of people gathered for military training, would you say that your government knows nothing about that? Of course not," he told the newspaper.
"The most notorious terrorists on the United Nations (UN) sanctions list are all in Pakistan. They operate in the big cities, in broad daylight. Their addresses are known. Their activities are known. Their mutual contacts are known. So let's not pretend that Pakistan is not involved. The state is involved. The army is up to its neck in it," S Jaishankar said coming down heavily on Pakistan.