NEW DELHI – On Monday, July 28, 2025, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar gave a strong speech in the Lok Sabha, saying that Pakistan had crossed India’s “red lines” with the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. He also stressed India’s determination to send a “clear and strong message” to a country “known for supporting cross-border terrorism.” His speech was made during a parliamentary debate about “Operation Sindoor,” India’s military reaction to the attack on April 22 that killed 26 tourists.
The Foreign Minister told the Lower House about a number of important diplomatic steps India took right after the Pahalgam disaster. “After the incident in Pahalgam, it was vital to deliver a clear, strong, and determined message. Jaishankar said, “We had crossed our red lines, and we had to make it very clear that there would be serious consequences.”
He talked about five important choices made by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) during a meeting on April 23:
Indus Waters Treaty Abeyance: “The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 will be put on hold right away until Pakistan credibly and permanently stops supporting terrorism across borders.” This is a big step that will affect a water-sharing deal that has been in place for decades.
Closure of Attari ICP: The Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari, which is an important land route for moving across borders, will close right away.
SAARC Visa Exemption Cancelled: Pakistani citizens who were traveling under the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) visa exemption scheme will no longer be able to do so.
Persona Non Grata Declaration: The Pakistani High Commission in India would proclaim its Defense, Naval, and Air Advisors to be Persona Non Grata, which means they are unwelcome and the host country will not give them diplomatic accreditation.
Reduction of High Commission Strength: The number of people working at the Pakistani High Commission in India would go down from 55 to 30.
Jaishankar made it very clear that India’s retaliation to the Pahalgam incident will not be restricted to these first steps. He said, “From a diplomatic point of view and a foreign policy point of view, our job was to shape the world’s understanding of the Pahalgam attack.” “We tried to make the world aware of Pakistan’s long history of using terrorism across borders.” We talked about Pakistan’s history of terrorism and how this attack was aimed to hurt the economy of Jammu and Kashmir and causing problems between different groups of people in India.
The External Affairs Minister said that all diplomatic talks and briefings after the incident had two main goals: “zero tolerance of terrorism and the right to defend ourselves, right to defend the people of India against cross-border terrorism.”
The talk about “Operation Sindoor,” which was supposed to last more than 16 hours in the Lok Sabha, got off to a rocky start. The Lower House was deferred three times till 2 pm because of a lot of noise. Opposition MPs went into the Well, which delayed the start of the full debate for a short time.
“Operation Sindoor” happened after the Pahalgam terror assault on April 22, 2025, which killed 26 people, most of whom were Hindu vacationers. India’s military operations went after nine terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), killing more than 100 militants, according to reports. After these attacks on May 7, India and Pakistan agreed to stop fighting on May 10, 2025.