Jaishankar calls out Asim Munir's extreme religious outlook, vows to strike again if Pakistan keeps backing terrorists

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar doubled down on India's stance the Operation Sindoor is ongoing, asserting that India will respond if there is another incident like the Pahalgam terror attack. 

He said it was Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir's "extreme religious outlook" that influenced the terrorists who attacked innocent civilians in Pahalgam. "It was intended to harm tourism and to create religious discord. And an element of religion was introduced…" he added.

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in response to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. In retaliation, India struck nine terror camps in PoK and Pakistan on May 6-7 night.

The subsequent deployment of Pakistani missiles and drones were successfully thwarted by Indian armed forces, with India retaliating by hitting military and air bases in Pakistan. On May 10, Pakistani DGMO called his Indian counterparty, seeking a ceasefire deal, following which both sides agreed to a truce.

However, Indian officials have maintained that Operation Sindoor is an ongoing operation. Echoing them, Jaishankar said, “The operation continues because there is a clear message in that operation – that if there are acts of the kind we saw on April 22, there will be a response, that we will hit the terrorists,” 

The minister asserted that if the terrorists are in Pakistan, then India will strike them there. "So, there is a message in continuing the operation but continuing the operation is not the same as firing on each other. Right now, there is an agreed cessation of fighting and military action."

When asked about Donald Trump's claims about US mediating the talks, Jaishankar ruled out any American involvement in the ceasefire negotiations.

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