Pak Army Chief’s “Extreme Religious Outlook” Fueled Pahalgam Terror Attack: EAM Jaishankar

GG News Bureau
THE HAGUE, 22nd May: India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar today told Dutch broadcaster NOS that the recent tense 100-hour military conflict between India and Pakistan was triggered by the “barbaric” April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

Jaishankar asserted that the Pahalgam terrorists, who targeted and murdered 26 people, mostly civilians, based on their faith, were driven by the “extreme religious outlook” of Asim Munir, the Pakistan Army chief who was this week promoted from General to Field Marshal.

The Minister suggested that a religious element was “deliberately introduced” to fuel existing tension, appearing to characterize Munir – who, days before Pahalgam, had referred to the “superior” Pakistani culture – as a fanatic. Mr. Jaishankar’s comments came in response to a question about United States President Donald Trump’s claims of brokering the May 12 ceasefire, which India has consistently denied. He emphasized that the cessation of hostilities was the result of a direct bilateral arrangement and not influenced by any third party.

“Look… first of all you have to understand what it was about. It started because it was triggered by a barbaric terrorist attack in the Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir, where 26 tourists were murdered in front of their families after ascertaining their faith,” he explained. “And it was done in a way intended to harm tourism, which is the mainstay of the economy, and to create a religious discord. Deliberately an element of religion was introduced. You also have to see there is a Pak leadership, especially the Army chief, that is driven by an extreme religious outlook.”

“So, there is clearly some connect between the views expressed (by the Pak Army chief) and the behaviour (of the Pahalgam terrorists),” Jaishankar told the Dutch broadcaster.

Separately, in an interview with De Volkskrant, a Dutch daily, Mr. Jaishankar also dismissed any notion that the Pakistan government was unaware of terror camps operating within its territory.

Following the Pahalgam attack, India had once again red-flagged terrorist operations being supported with money, military training, and logistics by the Pakistani “deep state.” Sources within the Indian government informed NDTV of a detailed ‘terror trail’ linking Pakistan to attacks worldwide. “We should not go along with the narrative that Pakistan does not know what is going on… the most notorious terrorists on the United Nations’ ‘sanctions list’ are all in Pakistan,” he told De Volkskrant, specifically naming individuals like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar, both known to be living in Pakistan. “They operate in the big cities… in broad daylight. Their addresses are known… their activities are known… their mutual contacts are known. So let’s not pretend Pakistan is not involved.”

“The Pak state is involved. The Pak Army is up to its neck in it,” he added.

The Pahalgam terror attack, carried out by an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, was the worst in the region since 2019, when terrorists from the Jaish-e-Mohammed killed 40 soldiers in J&K’s Pulwama.

India’s response included both non-military actions, such as the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (a water-sharing agreement vital for irrigating nearly 80% of Pakistan’s farms), and military action. The military response, codenamed “Operation Sindoor,” launched early on Wednesday, May 7th, involved precision strikes on nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Pakistan retaliated by firing hundreds of drones and missiles at Indian targets, most of which were shot down or neutralized by India’s air defense network. Islamabad reportedly sought the ceasefire after Delhi’s counterattacks disabled Pakistani air defense radars and over half a dozen air bases.

Since the ceasefire, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made several emphatic statements, echoed by Mr. Jaishankar in the Netherlands, affirming that Operation Sindoor remains an active mission. Mr. Modi has warned Pakistan that the Indian military stands ready to strike again if another terrorist attack occurs, and that Delhi now operates under a new doctrine for such assaults. He stressed that Pakistan must disable terrorist infrastructure in its territory and return illegally occupied territory in Kashmir before any further talks towards long-term peace can commence.