NEW DELHI: In the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar asserted that India will not hesitate to defend its citizens against terrorism and expects its strategic partners to stand in solidarity at a meeting of Quad foreign ministers.“A word about terrorism in the light of our recent experience. the world must display zero tolerance. Victims and perpetrators must never be equated. And India has every right to defend its people against terrorism, and we will exercise that right. We expect our Quad partners to understand and appreciate that,” Jaishankar said, addressing his counterparts from the United States, Japan, and Australia.The strong statement came as in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, which left 26 civilians dead — mostly tourists in a cross-border terror attack, underscoring India’s growing assertiveness on counterterrorism in multilateral groupings such as the Quad.Set against the backdrop of growing concerns over China’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific, the Quad meeting also reaffirmed the group’s commitment to a free, open, and rules-based regional order.“Let me begin by saying that we are all committed to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Jaishankar said. “It is essential that nations of the Indo-Pacific have the freedom of choice, so essential to make right decisions on development and security,” Jaishankar said.He outlined the Quad’s recent progress in key areas including maritime domain awareness, logistics cooperation, education, and political coordination and said the bloc was evolving to become “more cohesive, nimble and focused.”
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