External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday asserted that India will continue to defend its citizens against terrorism, emphasising New Delhi’s firm stance at the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting in Moscow. His remarks appeared to reference Operation Sindoor, India’s direct military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Jaishankar reminded member states that the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was established to counter terrorism, separatism and extremism, saying these threats have intensified in recent years. He called for absolute zero tolerance towards terrorism and rejected any justification or attempts to “whitewash” such acts.
The meeting took place roughly six months after Operation Sindoor, which followed the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people. India launched the operation on May 7, targeting terror and military facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The confrontation, which ended with a ceasefire on May 10, saw the deployment of fighter jets, missiles, armed drones and heavy artillery.