International community sides with India after air strikes on terror camps in Pakistan

Terrorism by far is the gravest international issue gripping the world right since the past many decades. Countries all over the world are fraught with the issue of terror attacks by Islamists and are doing their best to control and to effectively eradicate it. Therefore, any such move made in furtherance to this common goal by any country is seen as a welcome relief to overcome the terror issue. It is because of this common notion that countries all around the globe have applauded India’s efforts at effectively combating the Jaish-e-Mohammed camps, a UNSC sanctioned terrorist organization yesterday in the regions of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) and Pakistan.

Hours after the Indian Air Force carried out a strike deep inside Pakistan, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj spoke to her counterparts in the US, China, Singapore, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and briefed them on the pre-dawn strike on the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror training camp in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, sources said.

Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale and other secretaries in the Ministry of External Affairs briefed foreign envoys based in Delhi, including those of the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom, on the air strike exercising India’s “right to self-defence”. New Delhi reached out to the international community to mobilise support for its “non-military” and “pre-emptive” strike against a terrorist group, and restrain Pakistan from taking any offensive retaliatory action. This was the second briefing within a fortnight. Immediately after the Pulwama terror attack, India began coercive diplomacy, briefing envoys on the attack on the CRPF personnel. More than 70 countries and the UN Security Council condemned the Pulwama attack.

Even as Imran Khan and Pakistan cry foul play over India’s decision to strike down three terror bases of Jaish-e-Mohammed, countries from across the world have taken the side of India for taking steps to curb the menace called terrorism. A host of countries expressed solidarity with India in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack, and the very same countries are still standing alongside India after it went into its neighboring country’s territory and destroyed hubs of JeM.

In Canberra, the Australian Foreign Ministry, putting the onus on Islamabad, in a show of support for New Delhi put out a statement, which said:

Pakistan must take urgent and meaningful action against terrorist groups in its territory, including Jaish-e-Mohammed which has claimed responsibility for the 14 February bombing, and Lashkar-e-Taiba. Pakistan must do everything possible to implement its own proscription of Jaish-e-Mohammed. It can no longer allow extremist groups the legal and physical space to operate from its territory. These steps would make a substantial contribution to easing tensions and resolving the underlying causes of conflict.

Australia urged both sides to “exercise restraint, avoid any action which would endanger peace and security in the region and engage in dialogue to ensure that these issues are resolved peacefully”.

France, which has been at the forefront along with the US to take action against Masood Azhar, said it “recognises India’s legitimacy to ensure its security against cross-border terrorism” and asked Pakistan to “put an end to the operations of terrorist groups established on its territory”. France, stands by India in the fight against terrorism in all its forms, and is fully engaged in mobilising the international community to sanction the terrorists responsible for this attack and freezing their financing networks,

France most firmly condemns the terrible attack perpetrated on 14 February 2019 against Indian security forces in Pulwama, for which the terrorist group, Jaish-e-Mohammed, has claimed responsibility. France solemnly calls on India and Pakistan to exercise restraint so as to avert any risk of military escalation and preserve strategic stability in the region. The resumption of bilateral dialogue between Islamabad and New Delhi is necessary to initiate a peaceful settlement of differences.

In New Delhi, the Dean of Diplomatic Corps, Frank Hans Dannenberg Castellanos, who is the Ambassador of the Dominican Republic, also issued a statement of support:

The diplomatic corps feels very satisfied for the quick and organised manner in which MEA briefed all heads of missions accredited in Delhi, simultaneously and by the highest of the authorities within the ministry for each regional group. We received the same information given to the media that ‘it was a direct attack to limited and specific objectives with no civilian or military casualties, and it was expressed that there is no intention to escalate and will act in restraint and responsibly, based on credible intelligence that further attacks were planned in India.’

The United States government has assured full support to India in its fight against terrorism and pulled up Pakistan for not taking strict action against terror groups which are based in their country.

Acknowledging the recent developments, which has seen India bombing a series of terror hubs in its neighboring country, the U.S. has advised the Pakistani government to not retaliate and avoid military action as a response. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo said, “Following Indian counter-terrorism actions on February 26, I spoke with Indian Minister of External Affairs Swaraj to emphasize our close security partnership and shared goal of maintaining peace and security in the region. I also spoke to Pakistani Foreign Minister Qureshi to underscore the priority of de-escalating current tensions by avoiding military action, and the urgency of Pakistan taking meaningful action against terrorist groups operating on its soil. I expressed to both Ministers that we encourage India and Pakistan to exercise restraint, and avoid escalation at any cost. I also encouraged both Ministers to prioritize direct communication and avoid further military activity.”

Amidst all the support offered by countries all over, China’s response was muted. Not willing to condemn the terrorist attacks and praise India for its effort in terrorist eradication, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said, “Fighting terrorism is a global practice and needs necessary cooperation. India and Pakistan are both important countries in South Asia. Sound relations and cooperation serve the interest of both countries for peace and stability in South Asia… we hope the two countries can keep restraint and do more to improve bilateral relations.”

India is proud of the IAF strikes and is heartily welcoming all the praises and tokens of appreciation coming from all over the globe. Terrorism is not restricted to any country and is that form of evil which can be curtailed if all the countries come together.