NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Monday called on the international community to stand united against terrorism , stressing that there must be "no impunity to terrorists", "no treating them as proxies", and "no yielding to nuclear blackmail".
His comments came while inaugurating a digital exhibition titled "The Human Cost of Terrorism" at the United Nations headquarters.
Addressing diplomats, senior UN officials and envoys gathered at the venue, Jaishankar highlighted India's firm response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians, and pointed to the broader message it sends.
“We have since seen that happen. What that response underlines is a larger significance of the message of zero tolerance for terrorism . The world must come together on some basic concepts — no impunity to terrorists, no treating them as proxies, and no yielding to nuclear blackmail,” he said.
The exhibition, on display from June 30 to July 3 and again from July 7 to 11 at the UN, comes a day before Pakistan begins its month-long Presidency of the Security Council.
The digital exhibition presents visual documentation of global terror attacks, including the 1993 and 2008 Mumbai attacks and the recent Pahalgam strike, naming Pakistan-based outfits and individuals responsible.
Jaishankar noted that five weeks ago, the UN Security Council had issued a strong condemnation of the Pahalgam attack and had demanded accountability. Two weeks after the incident, India launched Operation Sindoor targeting terror infrastructure across the border in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
“Any state sponsorship must be exposed and must be countered,” he said. “By now we know well that terrorism anywhere is a threat to peace everywhere. Let that understanding guide our collective thinking and response.”
Calling terrorism one of the gravest threats to humanity, Jaishankar added: “It is the antithesis of everything that the UN stands for — human rights, rules and norms and how nations should conduct their dealings with each other.”
He also stressed the need to call out state-backed terrorism and extremism openly. “When terrorism is supported by a state against the neighbour, when it is fuelled by the bigotry of extremism, when it drives a whole host of illegal activities, it is imperative to call it out publicly and one way of doing so is to display the havoc that it has wreaked on global society.”
Referring to the exhibition, Jaishankar said: “This exhibition is a modest yet resolute effort to give voice to those who can no longer speak, a tribute to those who were taken away from us and a remembrance of the lives shattered by the scourge of terrorism.”
He said the visual and textual displays captured “each moment, each memory, each artifact and every word” that tells the story of interrupted lives.
“The pain of the families of the victims of terrorism is a stark reminder of the urgency of our shared responsibility to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” he said, urging the UN to not just remember but act.
In a post on X, Jaishankar added: “Appreciated UN Security Council’s strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack, and the need to hold its perpetrators accountable.” He said the exhibition conveyed a broader message of zero tolerance towards terrorism and reaffirmed “the shared and urgent responsibility of the global community to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.”
His comments came while inaugurating a digital exhibition titled "The Human Cost of Terrorism" at the United Nations headquarters.
Addressing diplomats, senior UN officials and envoys gathered at the venue, Jaishankar highlighted India's firm response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians, and pointed to the broader message it sends.
“We have since seen that happen. What that response underlines is a larger significance of the message of zero tolerance for terrorism . The world must come together on some basic concepts — no impunity to terrorists, no treating them as proxies, and no yielding to nuclear blackmail,” he said.
The exhibition, on display from June 30 to July 3 and again from July 7 to 11 at the UN, comes a day before Pakistan begins its month-long Presidency of the Security Council.
The digital exhibition presents visual documentation of global terror attacks, including the 1993 and 2008 Mumbai attacks and the recent Pahalgam strike, naming Pakistan-based outfits and individuals responsible.
Jaishankar noted that five weeks ago, the UN Security Council had issued a strong condemnation of the Pahalgam attack and had demanded accountability. Two weeks after the incident, India launched Operation Sindoor targeting terror infrastructure across the border in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
“Any state sponsorship must be exposed and must be countered,” he said. “By now we know well that terrorism anywhere is a threat to peace everywhere. Let that understanding guide our collective thinking and response.”
Calling terrorism one of the gravest threats to humanity, Jaishankar added: “It is the antithesis of everything that the UN stands for — human rights, rules and norms and how nations should conduct their dealings with each other.”
He also stressed the need to call out state-backed terrorism and extremism openly. “When terrorism is supported by a state against the neighbour, when it is fuelled by the bigotry of extremism, when it drives a whole host of illegal activities, it is imperative to call it out publicly and one way of doing so is to display the havoc that it has wreaked on global society.”
Referring to the exhibition, Jaishankar said: “This exhibition is a modest yet resolute effort to give voice to those who can no longer speak, a tribute to those who were taken away from us and a remembrance of the lives shattered by the scourge of terrorism.”
He said the visual and textual displays captured “each moment, each memory, each artifact and every word” that tells the story of interrupted lives.
“The pain of the families of the victims of terrorism is a stark reminder of the urgency of our shared responsibility to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” he said, urging the UN to not just remember but act.
In a post on X, Jaishankar added: “Appreciated UN Security Council’s strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack, and the need to hold its perpetrators accountable.” He said the exhibition conveyed a broader message of zero tolerance towards terrorism and reaffirmed “the shared and urgent responsibility of the global community to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.”
Joined the inauguration of exhibition on ‘The Human Cost of Terrorism’ @UN Headquarters in New York this morning.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 30, 2025
Appreciated UN Security Council’s strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack, and the need to hold its perpetrators accountable.
The exhibition is a larger… https://t.co/pt8jZ86WMK pic.twitter.com/LRdybHFNPc
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