‘Blood and water can’t flow together’: Jaishankar outlines India’s new anti-terror policy

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told Parliament that Operation Sindoor reflects a "new normal" in India’s anti-terror strategy, rejecting mediation claims and nuclear threats. He outlined a five-point doctrine and confirmed the US designation of TRF as a global terror group

New Delhi: India’s military action against Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack marked a “new normal” in combatting cross-border terrorism with a five-point approach that included a firm response to terror acts, not yielding to nuclear blackmail and that blood and water cannot flow together, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

During a special discussion on Operation Sindoor, Jaishankar also vehemently asserted that Washington did not play any role in ending the India-Pakistan conflict in May and said there was no phone call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump during those crucial weeks.

---

Though a combative Jaishankar took on the previous Congress governments on a range of issues, including the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack and the policy on China and Pakistan, a major highlight of his nearly 40-minute address was his articulation of the “new normal” in combating terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

“The challenge of cross-border terrorism continues but Operation Sindoor marks a new phase. There is now a new normal.

“The new normal has five points. One, terrorists will not be treated as proxies. Two, cross-border terrorism will get an appropriate response. Three, terror and talks are not possible together. There will only be talks on terror.”

“Four, not yielding to nuclear blackmail. And finally, terror and good neighbourliness cannot coexist. Blood and water cannot flow together,” he said.

A day after the April 22 Pahalgam attack, India announced a series of punitive measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, with New Delhi asserting that “blood and water” cannot flow together.

The external affairs minister also called for a united approach within India in dealing with terrorism, saying it was best reflected when parliamentary delegations visited various countries to apprise them of Operation Sindoor and India’s policy on terrorism.

“We can only succeed in ensuring Zero Tolerance against Terrorism if we have a united voice in this country against terrorism. There must not be any division of opinion on this matter,” he said.

“The way the parliamentary delegations behaved abroad, I hope the same solidarity will permeate the proceedings of the House,” Jaishankar said.

Another highlight of the external affairs minister’s address was his assertion that Washington had no direct role in ending the military conflict between India and Pakistan.

“I want to make two things very clear– one, at no stage, in any conversation with the United States, was there any linkage with trade and what was going on,” he said.

“Secondly, there was no talk between the Prime Minister and President Trump from the April 22 (on the day of Pahalgam attack) when President (Donald) Trump called up to convey his sympathy, and on June 17, when he called up the prime minister in Canada to explain why he could not meet,” Jaishankar added.

Trump repeatedly claimed that he used trade to stop the military conflict between the two nuclear powers.

Jaishankar also made a mention of leaders from several countries contacting the Indian side following the Pahalgam attack.

“To everybody, we gave a common message (that) India is exercising its right to defend itself against terrorism (and there) will be no mediation,” he said.

“We received phone calls sharing the impression of other countries that Pakistan was ready to cease the fighting. Our position was that if Pakistan was ready, we needed to get this request from the Pakistani side through the DGMO (Director General of Military Operations). That is exactly how that request came,” he said.

Jaishankar also asserted that New Delhi’s diplomatic efforts led to the US designating The Resistance Force (TRF) as a global terrorist organisation.

The TRF, a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), had claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack.

“Thanks to our diplomacy– the TRF has been designated as a global terrorist organisation by the US Government,” he said.