New Delhi In a pointed rebuke amid strained bilateral relations, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has attributed last month’s deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam to the “extreme religious outlook” of Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir. The minister’s remarks mark a significant diplomatic escalation as tensions between the two neighbours continue to mount following the recent military confrontation.
Describing the April 22 attack—which left 25 Indian tourists and a local pony handler dead—as “barbaric,” Jaishankar said the assault was designed to destabilize the region’s tourism sector and provoke communal discord. The assailants, reportedly comprising two Pakistani nationals and one local operative, were said to have singled out Hindu men after identifying their religion before executing them at close range.
“It [the attack] was intended to harm tourism and to create religious discord. And an element of religion was introduced… You have the Pakistani Army Chief, driven by extreme religious outlook… so some connect with [his] views…” Jaishankar told a Dutch television channel during a visit to the Netherlands.
The minister's remarks followed General Munir’s provocative statements on April 16, where he described Kashmir as Pakistan’s “jugular vein,” endorsed the two-nation theory, and urged Pakistanis to instil in their children the belief that they are “different from Hindus.” These comments, widely seen as inflammatory, have drawn condemnation from Indian officials.
Earlier this month, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri also linked the Pahalgam killings to what he termed the “communal rhetoric of the Pakistan Army chief.”
TRF’s Role and India’s Response
The Resistance Front (TRF), a known proxy group operating with ties to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack. Jaishankar noted that India had long been tracking TRF’s activities and had already raised concerns about the group at the United Nations.
“TRF has been on our radar for a long time. We had already brought it to the United Nations’ attention,” he said, adding that Indian intelligence had identified TRF’s command centres and linked them directly to Hafiz Saeed’s Lashkar-e-Taiba network. “We know where the command centres are — and those are the places we targeted on May 7.”
The minister was referring to Operation Sindoor, India’s calibrated military response carried out between May 7 and 10, targeting nine terror facilities across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Analysts have hailed the operation as a significant shift in India’s counterterrorism posture, underscoring its “zero tolerance” policy.
Escalation and Ceasefire
In retaliation, the Pakistani Army launched a barrage of drones into Indian airspace and intensified shelling along the Line of Control (LoC). India responded with force, striking more than 10 military positions inside Pakistan, including key airbases. The scale and precision of the Indian response reportedly compelled Islamabad to request a ceasefire through military channels.
While the situation along the border has since de-escalated, diplomatic tensions remain high. India has maintained that any sustainable peace will require credible action from Pakistan against cross-border terrorism and its proxy networks.
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