Punish Pahalgam attackers without delay, Quad tells Pakistan

Amid sustained pressure by India on recognising cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan, the Quad has condemned the Pahalgam terror attack and called for acting against the perpetrators, organisers and financiers of the April 22 massacre without any delay.

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The foreign ministers of the four-nation grouping--India, US, Japan and Australia are its members--met in Washington on Tuesday to firm up a broad agenda for the bloc's annual summit in India later this year.

In its joint statement, the Quad did not mention Pakistan but made it amply clear where it was hinting. The statement used the words “cross-border terrorism” and followed it up by condemning the Pahalgam attack.

The statement, which was posted by the US State Department on its website, said, “We condemn in strongest terms the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 25 Indian nationals and a Nepali citizen.”

Blaming Pakistan for aiding, abetting, financing and providing logistical support for the attack, India carried our airstrikes to dismantle the terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir under Operation Sindoor.

“We unequivocally condemn all acts of terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, and renew our commitment to counterterrorism cooperation,” the statement said.

The Quad urged all UN member states, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, to cooperate actively with all relevant authorities in this regard.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Australian and Japanese Foreign Ministers, Penny Wong and Takeshi Iwaya, respectively, were at the event.

Pakistan is a UN member and now heads the UNSC for a fixed term as a non-permanent member of the association. The UNSC, in a resolution on April 25, mentioned the Pahalgam attack and underlined the need to hold the perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of the reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice.