NEW DELHI: As global leaders call Prime Minister Narendra Modi to condemn the Pahalgam terror attack, India has ramped up diplomatic outreach to highlight the cross-border terror links emanating from Pakistan.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to his Saudi Arabian counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, and held meetings with the ambassadors of Israel, Egypt, Nepal, and Argentina.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, along with other senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), continued to brief foreign diplomats in New Delhi, updating them on the investigation and India’s response.
The global engagement comes in the aftermath of Tuesday’s brutal attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, where terrorists opened fire on civilians, killing 26 people.
The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the banned Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the assault, making it the deadliest attack in the Valley since Pulwama in 2019.
The United States strongly condemned the attack.
US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said America stands with India as it seeks to bring the perpetrators to justice. “We stand in solidarity with India in the wake of the horrific Islamist terrorist attack targeting and killing 26 Hindus in Pahalgam,” she posted on X.
The US State Department echoed her sentiments, urging swift justice and standing firmly with India against terrorism.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Modi on Friday, describing the Pahalgam massacre as a “barbaric” act. He conveyed condolences for the innocent lives lost and reaffirmed the United Kingdom’s solidarity with India during what he termed “an hour of tragedy.”
Similar messages poured in from other global leaders.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake also phoned Modi, condemning the attack and reiterating their shared commitment to combat terrorism.
Dissanayake said he was “deeply shocked,” adding, “we stand with India in these difficult times.”
Schoof denounced the attack as a “tragic and inhuman” act and expressed readiness to work closely with India to counter terrorism.
Expressions of support also came from French President Emmanuel Macron, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who all spoke to Modi to express solidarity and support for India’s fight against terrorism.
Meanwhile, Iran offered to mediate between India and Pakistan as tensions flared.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi reiterated Tehran’s condemnation of the attack and offered to use Iran’s “good offices” to ease tensions between the two neighbours, citing historic and cultural ties.
In a swift response to the attack, India expelled Pakistani military attachés, put the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, and shut the Attari land transit post. In retaliation, Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian airlines and suspended trade ties, including those routed through third countries.
Islamabad also rejected India’s suspension of the water-sharing pact, warning it would treat any disruption as an “act of war.”
