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New Delhi | June 7, 2025
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar issued a clear and firm message to visiting British Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Saturday, stating that India’s policy of “zero tolerance” for terrorism must be understood and respected by its international partners. The statement comes in the wake of remarks by Lammy during his recent visit to Pakistan, which suggested third-party involvement in maintaining ceasefire and dialogue between India and Pakistan.
“We practice a policy of zero tolerance against terrorism and expect our partners to understand it. We will never countenance perpetrators of evil being put at par with its victims,” said Jaishankar, during the high-level diplomatic meeting in Delhi.
Lammy’s visit comes just three weeks after his trip to Islamabad on May 17, where he told Reuters that the U.S. and U.K. were working with both India and Pakistan to promote an “enduring ceasefire” and to foster dialogue and confidence-building measures (CBMs) following the Pahalgam terror attacks and the subsequent four-day military standoff dubbed "Operation Sindoor".
The remarks had stirred strong reactions in New Delhi, which has consistently opposed any form of external mediation in bilateral issues with Pakistan, particularly in the context of terrorism emanating from across the border.
Jaishankar thanked the U.K. government for its condemnation of the Pahalgam attacks and its support in India's counter-terrorism efforts, but made it clear that equating India’s position with that of Pakistan’s, which harbours terror elements, is unacceptable.
UK Aims to Promote Peace, Says Statement
A statement released by the UK High Commission ahead of Lammy’s visit noted that the Foreign Secretary would discuss the “recent escalation in tensions” and “how the welcomed sustained period of peace can be best supported in the interests of regional stability.”
The Indian government, however, has taken a strong diplomatic stance against what it perceives as "hyphenation" of India and Pakistan by global powers. This includes sharp rebukes to commentary from U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, both of whom made references suggesting international efforts in de-escalation, which the Indian opposition has latched onto as diplomatic failure.
Critics have also pointed to Pakistan’s recent appointments to the United Nations Security Council’s subsidiary bodies — including as chair of the Taliban Sanctions Committee and vice-chair of the Counter Terrorism Committee — as signs of India's waning diplomatic influence, despite longstanding ties with UNSC permanent members such as the U.S., U.K., France, and Russia.
India’s response signals a deliberate diplomatic pushback and reiteration of its position that terror and its victims cannot be placed on the same platform, regardless of geopolitical considerations.