India ramps up diplomatic offensive against Pak, says it’s at war with terrorists

New York/London: India has ramped up diplomatic offensive against Pakistan following the military conflict, with its Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra saying that the country is at war with the terrorists and will bring justice to victims of the Pahalgam terror attack by holding the “lowlifes, subhuman monsters” accountable.

Separately, Indian envoy to the UK Vikram Doraiswami said India’s response to Pakistan’s original conflict escalation with the terrorist attacks in Pahalgam was “precise, targeted” and focussed solely on terror infrastructure but Islamabad has chosen to continue to escalate the matter instead of taking an “off-ramp” to end the crisis.

Tensions between India and Pakistan soared significantly following India’s Operation Sindoor on early Wednesday in response to the Pahalgam attack on April 22 that had cross-border linkages and Pakistan’s subsequent unsuccessful attempt to attack 15 Indian cities.

“April 22 was the most heinous terrorist act,” Kwatra said in an interview with CNN on Thursday.

“It is nobody’s case to say that these terrorists should be given a free pass, and that’s precisely what we did the day before yesterday, held them accountable,” Kwatra said and described India’s action as “a very precise, calibrated, measured response to these terrorists.”

“We are at war with the terrorists, and we will, as I said, bring justice to the victims and hold them accountable,” he said, answering a question if India is at war with Pakistan. “Our foremost objective in this was (to) hold these lowlifes, subhuman monsters accountable and bring justice to the victims.”

India’s High Commissioner to the UK Doraiswami, who was interviewed by a series of UK media outlets on Thursday to present India’s stance on the rising tensions between India and Pakistan, told ‘Sky News’ that the international community can intervene by pointing out the opportunity for an off-ramp to Pakistan.

He displayed an image live on air of US-designated Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist Abdur Rauf leading prayers for the terrorists killed in Operation Sindoor, also presented during a briefing by Foreign Secretary Vikram Mistry in New Delhi.

“Everybody knows that for the last 30 years, Pakistan has used this (terrorism) as a means of sub-critical warfare against India,” said Doraiswami.

“If the international community really wants to be able to look at this and worry about it, the simple solution is to tell Pakistan it has an opportunity for an off-ramp. These are things that the world should have compelled Pakistan to do 30 years ago, and to compel them to implement their promises about taking down this infrastructure. It has not done so,” he said.

Asked if India fears a further escalation of conflict in the region, the envoy asserted that the “original escalation” is Pakistan-sponsored terror groups attacking and shooting civilians in Pahalgam on April 22.

“Our response thereafter was precise, targeted, reasonable and moderate. It was focused principally and solely on terrorist infrastructure. We did not strike the Pakistani military establishment, ” said Doraiswami. WITH AGENCY INPUTS