'Intentionally promoted religious division', S Jaishankar said on Pahalgam attack- 'It is necessary to root out terrorism'

News Topical, Digital Desk : External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is on a visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council meeting. During the meeting on Tuesday (July 15, 2025), he raised the issue of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir and said that member countries need to remain true to the objectives of the group and maintain a firm stand on terrorism.

Jaishankar is on his first visit to China in five years after the clashes between Indian soldiers and Chinese soldiers in the Galwan Valley in June 2020. During this, he said that the attack in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025 was deliberately done to undermine the tourism economy of Jammu and Kashmir and also promote religious division.

'The United Nations Security Council also condemned the attack'

Speaking at the SCO Foreign Ministers Council meeting, he said, "The United Nations Security Council, of which many of us are still members, issued a statement strongly condemning this and stressing the need to hold the perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice."

S. Jaishankar reminded me of this

Jaishankar said the SCO was founded to fight three evils - terrorism, separatism and extremism - which surprisingly occur simultaneously. "It is important that the SCO remains true to its founding objectives and adopts an uncompromising approach to this challenge," he said.

'Urgent need for mutual trust'

The Foreign Minister also said that there is an urgent need for regional cooperation based on mutual trust to stabilise the global system.

He said, "We are meeting at a time when there is a lot of chaos in the international system. The last few years have seen conflict, competition and pressure. Economic instability is also clearly on the rise. We are challenged to stabilize the global order, de-risk various dimensions and through all this, address the long-term challenges that threaten collective interests."

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