No intention to escalate, onus on Pakistan: India

After Pakistan's call for de-escalation following India's 'Operation Sindoor', External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said India does not intend to escalate matters but any military attack on the country will be met with a firm response.

On Wednesday, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had said Islamabad is open to reducing tensions with India if New Delhi chooses to de-escalate the current situation.

The minister's remarks came after India carried out "Operation Sindoor" to avenge the terror attack in J&K's Pahalgam. The operation was conducted on Pakistan and PoK — in which nine terror structures were destroyed, according to the government. Additionally, India clarified that the operation was meant to target only terrorist camps and no military installations were impacted.

“The Pahalgam terror attack compelled us to respond by striking at the cross-border terrorist infrastructure. Our response was targeted and measured. It is not our intention to escalate the situation. However, if there are military attacks on us, there should be no doubt that it will be met with a very, very firm response," Jaishankar said at a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

As India’s neighbour and close partner, it is important that Iran has a good understanding of the situation, he said. The Iranian Foreign Minister is in New Delhi for a scheduled visit amid escalating tensions.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabian State Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir also arrived in New Delhi. The visit by Jubeir was not publicly announced. The announcement was made by EAM Jaishankar on his X account, stating, “Shared India’s perspectives on firmly countering terrorism.”