FM Jaishankar warns Pak of retaliation, says it faces ‘karma’ for terrorist attacks on others

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar delivered a stern warning on Saturday to Pakistan that cross-border terrorism will face retaliation, saying that Islamabad is facing “karma” for the terrorist attacks it launched on others.

“Let me make India's position perfectly clear: Pakistan's cross-border terrorism policy will never succeed, and it can have no expectation of impunity”, he said.

“On the contrary, actions will certainly have consequences”, he declared at the General Assembly’s high-level session.

This was one of India’s strongest, unabashed warnings to Islamabad from an international forum.

He dismissed as “bizarre” Pakistan Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif’s attacks on India at his speech on Friday and a junior diplomat’s statement responding to India’s rebuttal.

Of Islamabad’s ideological commitment to terrorism, he said, “When this polity instils such fanaticism among its people, its GDP can only be measured in terms of radicalisation and its exports in the form of terrorism.”

Excoriating Pakistan for the terrorist attacks launched against other countries and its export of terrorism. FM Jaishankar said, “Today, we see the ills it sought to visit on others consume its own society. It can’t blame the world; this is only ‘karma’.”

He was alluding to a Pakistan consumed by internal disorder as its fractious politics and religious divisions are roiled by violence and its economy in shambles begs for bailouts.

“Many countries get left behind due to circumstances beyond their control. But some make conscious choices with disastrous consequences. A premier example is our neighbour, Pakistan,” he said of the consequences it faces internally as a result of promoting terrorism.

He added that, unfortunately, their misdeeds affect others as well, especially the neighbourhood.

FM Jaishankar referred to China’s role in protecting Pakistan-based terrorists from UN sanctions.

Without naming China, he said, “The sanctioning of global terrorists by the United Nations should also not be impeded for political reasons.”

He added that terrorism is antithetical to everything that the world stands for.

“All its forms of and manifestations must be resolutely opposed,” he added.