Jaishankar thanks S Korean counterpart, stresses need to fight terrorism

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with his South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul over the phone on Thursday. During the talks, Jaishankar underlined the need to combat terrorism in all forms and manifestations.

Jaishankar thanked him for South Korea's support and solidarity in light of the recent terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.

In a post shared on X, Jaishankar stated, "Spoke with @FMChoTaeyul of South Korea this morning. Thanked him for RoK's support and solidarity in light of Pahalgam terror attack. Underlined the need to combat terrorism in all forms and manifestations."

The Pahalgam attack, which took place on April 22, left 26 people dead and several others injured after terrorists attacked tourists at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam.

 

Following the attack, India has taken strong countermeasures against Pakistan for its support of cross-border terrorism. In the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 23, India decided to hold the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably ends its support for cross-border terrorism and closes the integrated Attari Check Post.

India has also declared the officials of the Pakistani High Commission persona non grata and ordered them to leave India within a week. Additionally, the central government decided to cancel any visas issued under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) and ordered Pakistani officials to leave the country within 48 hours.

India has also suspended visa services for Pakistani nationals, effective immediately. All existing valid visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals will stand revoked, effective from April 27, 2025, as stated by the Ministry of External Affairs in a press release.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured the country that the terrorists responsible for this attack, along with those who conspired to commit it, will face punishment beyond their imagination.

Speaking at a gathering in Bihar's Madhubani on April 24, PM Modi declared, "The terrorists responsible for this attack, along with those who conspired it, will face punishment beyond their imagination," stressing that the time has come to eliminate the remaining strongholds of terrorism.

"The willpower of 140 crore Indians will now break the backbone of the perpetrators of terror," the PM emphasised. He also affirmed that everyone who believes in humanity stands with India during these times.

He further stated, "We will identify, track, and punish every terrorist, their handlers, and their backers, pursuing them to the ends of the earth. India's spirit will never be broken by terrorism, and terrorism will not go unpunished. Every effort will be made to ensure justice is served, and the entire nation is firm in this resolve against terrorism.