Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton on Wednesday said that India was fully entitled to act in self-defence against terrorist locations in Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 people.

While speaking to ANI on Wednesday, Bolton emphasised the need for Pakistan to control such activities within its borders, warning of severe consequences if it fails.

He also highlighted the growing Chinese influence in Pakistan as a significant threat to India, noting China’s military planes supplied to Pakistan.

“India was certainly entitled to act in self-defence against locations inside Pakistan where the terrorist attack was planned and carried out from. It is a significant issue when a country cannot control that kind of terrorist activity going on in its territory or, indeed, maybe contributing to it. India’s action was entirely justifiable, but it does raise questions about whether there is any possibility of persuading the Pakistani government that this is ultimately not in their interest and can lead to much worse consequences for them if they don’t get it under control,” Bolton stated.

“The fact that Chinese military planes supplied to Pakistan were prominent in Pakistan’s response signifies the growing Chinese influence inside Pakistan, which increases the threat to India, certainly in its western flank,” he added.

He further stated that the response following the Pahalgam attack was a “cut above” what had happened in 2019, referring to the Pulwama attack.

“This is a long-standing issue, but the escalation, the military response, and the back and forth between India and Pakistan before the ceasefire was agreed to were a cut above what happened in 2019, when there was a similar terrorist attack in Kashmir,” the former NSA stated.

India’s Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the death of over 100 terrorists affiliated with terror outfits like the Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.

After the attack, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling across the Line of Control and Jammu and Kashmir as well as attempted drone attacks along the border regions, following which India launched a coordinated attack and damaged radar infrastructure, communication centres and airfields across 11 airbases in Pakistan.

Following this, on May 10, an understanding of the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan took place.

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