External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated on Friday that India has “zero tolerance” for terrorism and will never give in to nuclear blackmail. He added that India will deal with Pakistan bilaterally. This comes after the Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 to avenge the gruesome Pahalgam terror attack. 

Addressing a joint press briefing with the German Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul, Jaishankar stated that New Delhi values Berlin’s understanding that every nation has the right to defend itself against terrorism. 

Jaishankar said, “I come to Berlin in the immediate aftermath of India responding to the Pahalgam terror attack. India has zero tolerance for terrorism. India will never give in to nuclear blackmail, and India will deal with Pakistan purely bilaterally. There should be no confusion in any quarter in that regard. We also value Germany’s understanding that every nation has the right to defend itself against terrorism,” Jaishankar said. 

#WATCH | EAM Dr S Jaishankar says, “I come to Berlin in the immediate aftermath of India responding to the Pahalgam terror attack. India has zero tolerance for terrorism. India will never give in to nuclear blackmail, and India will deal with Pakistan purely bilaterally. There… pic.twitter.com/QhKfFsYmNO
— ANI (@ANI) May 23, 2025

Wadephul also said, “Germany will support any fight against terrorism. Terrorism must never have a place in the world, anywhere, and this is why we will support everyone who fights and has to fight terrorism. We very much appreciate that a ceasefire has been reached, and we hope that there will be a solution soon.”

Earlier in the day, Jaishankar met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin and conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s best wishes. 

In a post on X, the Indian Foreign Minister said, “Deeply appreciate Germany’s understanding of India’s right to defend itself against terrorism.”

Operation Sindoor 

India’s Operation Sindoor targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), leading to the death of over 100 terrorists. The Ministry of Defence, in a statement, said, “Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature.”

Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling across the Line of Control (LoC) 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 eight airbases in Pakistan, as per ANI. 

Later, on May 10, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) contacted his Indian counterpart and the two nations agreed to halt all military actions on land, sea, and the air.

(with ANI inputs)