Jaishankar's ‘terroristan' remark overlooks India's own role in regional instability, aggression

Express Tribune

a day ago

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Amid a long history of rouge acts of aggression, terrorism and preemptive assaults on Pakistan. Now India's Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar committed another verbal attack on Pakistan as calling it 'terroristan'.
Speaking at a joint press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday alongside European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, Jaishankar said, 'I'd like you to understand this is not a conflict between two states per se,' Jaishankar said.
'This is actually a response to the threat and the practice of terrorism. So, I would urge you to make it. Don't think of it as India or Pakistan; think of it as India–Terroristan. You will then appreciate it,' he added.
The remarks are among the strongest in recent months by a senior Indian official and come amid heightened diplomatic tensions. However, India has a long history of intervention, igniting armed conflict and even producing a shadow army during 1971 war.
India's current Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has openly acknowledged the country's policy of targeting peoples beyond its borders, reinforcing long-suspected claims of cross-border operations. In a TV interview, Singh stated, 'If any terrorist tries to disturb India… and escapes to Pakistan, we will go there to kill him,' describing the strategy as approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The statement comes in the wake of a recent Guardian report about India's involvement in up to 20 extrajudicial killings in Pakistan since 2020. While India's Ministry of External Affairs has dismissed the report as 'false and malicious propaganda,' Singh's remarks appear to contradict that denial, casting new light on India's covert terror doctrine.
On the other hand, The Indian agency RAW, was finally drawn out of shadows last year when it assassinated pro-Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil.
Delhi was in denial – but not for long. The US ambassador in Ottawa was quick to confirm there was shared intelligence among the 'Five Eyes' partners that helped Canada unravel Nijjar's murder mystery.
This was followed by another explosive revelation. The FBI thwarted an Indian plot to assassinate another pro-freedom Sikh leader on American soil.
It was learnt that the US informed some allies about the plot following Nijjar's murder. Both former prime minister Justin Trudeau and Ex-president Joe Biden took up the blatant violation of sovereignty by Indian agents with Delhi at the top level.
Hate speech, minorities and Islamophobia
In March 2024, more than 20 UN experts signed a joint statement urging India to "end attacks against minorities" in the run-up to national elections.
Since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014, India has seen numerous outbreaks of violence between majority Hindus and its 200-million-strong Muslim minority.
Instances of hate speech against minorities in India such as Muslims increased 74% in 2024, a Washington-based research group said reported in 2025, with incidents ballooning around last year's national elections.
In 2022, a study by the Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV) found that Twitter users in India are responsible for 55.12% of anti-Muslim content on the platform. The report highlights a strong link between surges in online Islamophobia and major global events involving Muslims, such as protests, terror attacks, and regional conflicts.
Pakistan's irrefutable evidence
During a press conference last month in Rawalpindi, Director General ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry revealed that Indian army officers are sponsoring terror operations in Pakistan, supplying explosives, IEDs, and funds to militants targeting civilians and security forces.
'This irrefutable evidence is just one small part of India's state-sponsored terrorism,' Chaudhry said.
Citing the arrest of a Pakistani suspect on April 25 near the Jhelum bus stand, DG ISPR informed the individual was trained and funded by Indian handlers.
Authorities recovered an IED, Indian-origin drone, and large sums of cash. 'Forensic analysis of the retrieved materials confirmed irrefutable evidence, verifiable by any credible independent agency,' he added.
Chaudhry named several Indian army personnel — including Major Sandeep Verma and Subedar Sukhwinder — as handlers, claiming they provided instructions for assembling and planting explosives, including a deadly attack in Jalalpur Jattan that killed four Pakistani soldiers.
He also called out Indian media for spreading 'blatant propaganda' following incidents involving explosives and dismissed allegations against Pakistan over the recent Pahalgam attack in Indian-administered Kashmir.
'Seven days have passed since the Pahalgam incident, and so far, India has not presented any evidence for its baseless allegations,' he said.
Kulbhushan Jadhav case
On March 3, 2016, Pakistani intelligence agencies achieved a monumental success by arresting Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, marking a significant milestone in the fight against terrorism and exposing India's involvement in state-sponsored terrorism.
Following his arrest, Pakistani intelligence agencies uncovered Jadhav's extensive terrorist network, which was responsible for targeting innocent Pakistani lives. During interrogation, Jadhav confessed to carrying out operations in Pakistan under the direct orders of the Indian government and RAW.
In conclusion, Jaishankar's recent remark, labelling Pakistan as 'terroristan,' exposes a glaring irony, given India's own extensive history of covert operations, cross-border violence, and state-sponsored terrorism.
While India continues to deflect accusations and blame Pakistan, the undeniable evidence of Indian involvement in extrajudicial killings, support for militant activities, and assassination plots against its own citizens abroad paints a starkly different picture.
The remarks by Indian officials only serve to highlight the hypocrisy at play, with India's foreign policy and actions contradicting its rhetoric. As the global community becomes increasingly aware of these covert operations, India's attempts to project itself as the moral high ground in the region ring hollow.