Jaishankar Rebukes Europe Over Historic Support to Pakistan’s Military Regimes

 Berlin | May 23, 2025 — In a sharp diplomatic rebuke, India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar criticized European nations for their longstanding alignment with military regimes in Pakistan, despite Islamabad’s history of cross-border aggression and democratic fragility.

Speaking in an interview with German publication Politiken, Dr. Jaishankar underscored what he termed as Europe’s “selective amnesia” regarding Pakistan’s role in undermining regional stability. The minister, currently on a diplomatic tour of Europe with stops in the Netherlands, Denmark, and now Germany, held meetings with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and senior officials to advance India-Germany strategic cooperation, including in counter-terrorism, resilient supply chains, and global security.

“Our borders have been violated by Pakistan in Kashmir ever since our independence in 1947,” said Dr. Jaishankar on Thursday. “And what have we seen in the eight decades since? That large, democratic Europe, to use your own term, has stood side by side with military dictatorships in the region.”

He accused Western powers—particularly in Europe—of propping up authoritarian regimes in Pakistan under the guise of strategic partnerships, often at the cost of democratic values. “No one has supported the military regime—and undermined democracy in Pakistan in so many ways—as much as the West,” Jaishankar asserted.

India has consistently raised concerns over Pakistan’s entrenched military establishment, which it accuses of fostering terrorism in the Kashmir Valley, Afghanistan, and beyond. These concerns gained further urgency following repeated cross-border terror incidents and Pakistan’s alleged support for non-state actors operating from its soil.

Despite this, in 2004, the United States designated Pakistan a Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA), a status that enabled Islamabad to access a range of military and financial privileges. This designation—ostensibly granted to aid the global war on terror—has faced criticism in New Delhi and elsewhere, especially after Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was discovered living undisturbed near a major military facility in Abbottabad in 2011.

Quad Cooperation: Voluntary, Flexible, Strategic

Touching on the evolving landscape of global alliances, Jaishankar cited the Quad grouping—comprising India, the United States, Japan, and Australia—as a prime example of voluntary, flexible, and interest-based cooperation. “It’s based on voluntariness—a desire to pool our strengths and cooperate. It’s flexible and effective,” he noted.

His remarks come against the backdrop of the recent Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians and prompted India to launch Operation Sindoor—a coordinated series of precision strikes targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Although India’s response was swift and uncompromising, New Delhi found itself largely isolated diplomatically, with only tepid reactions from its Quad partners—despite Pakistani military involvement that escalated tensions to the brink of open conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

India’s armed response, which inflicted significant damage to enemy installations and personnel, served as a stark reminder of the ongoing volatility in the region and the asymmetric threats posed by state-sponsored terrorism.