 "Days after Trump met Munir, Quad condemns cross-border terrorism citing Pahalgam attack")
The Quad released a joint statement on Wednesday, condemning cross-border terrorism in its first joint statement after the Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, when Pakistan-backed terrorists killed 26 people. Twenty-five of the victims were tourists, singled out by terrorists after ascertaining their religious identity.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and their Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya attended the Quad foreign ministers' meeting in Washington DC .
“The Quad condemns all acts of terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism and renews our commitment to counterterrorism cooperation,” the joint statement said.
This comes days after US President Donald Trump held a closed-door meeting with Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir, something Islamabad seemed to cheer against the backdrop of four-day military conflict with India, which launched Operation Sindoor after waiting for about two weeks to see if Pakistan took any action against the terror group that claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam massacre.
The Quad joint statement said, “We condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Pahalgam , Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, which claimed the lives of 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen, while injuring several others.”
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe four-country alliance, which includes India, US, Japan and Australia, also called for perpetrators, organisers and financiers behind the Pahalgam attack to be brought to justice.
The joint statement comes after Jaishankar addressed the media, calling for unity against terrorism. He said, “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,” he added.
Jaishankar also met Rubio and US Defence Secretary on the sidelines of the Quad meeting to further the bilateral relationship between the two countries. The two sides discussed trade, security, critical technologies, connectivity, energy and mobility, and “shared perspectives on regional and global developments”.
The foreign ministers of the Quad countries on Tuesday held wide-ranging discussions focusing on making the four-nation grouping more impactful in dealing with various global challenges.
The meeting also deliberated on the agenda for Quad’s annual summit to be held in India later this year, according to a report by PTI.
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
