Indian envoy in Sri Lanka thanks island nation for support in fight against terrorism

Colombo, May 19 (IANS) Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, on Monday extended gratitude to the Lankan government for condemning terrorism in the strongest terms, and for their solidarity with the victims of the April 22 ghastly Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people.

In an interview with the leading Sri Lankan newspaper, Daily Mirror, Jha asserted that 'Operation Sindoor,' which was launched by India in response to the Pahalgam attack, "is not over; it is now India's established policy against terrorism."

"As long as Pakistan maintains tranquillity and takes irrevocable steps to abjure terrorism against India, there will be no hostilities. The onus and responsibility for any hostility in the region lies squarely with Pakistan. Any act of terrorism will be seen as an act of war, and a befitting response will be delivered," he stated

India launched Operations Sindoor on May 7, launching focused strikes on nine high-value terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Jha stressed that the terror hubs were destroyed, but Indian armed forces ensured that no civilians were targeted; however, Islamabad targeted India's military, civilian and religious infrastructure.

"Our response was non-escalatory, measured, and proportionate. The same was communicated to the Pakistani side, with the clear intention not to escalate the hostilities. Instead of cooperating to wipe out terrorist hideouts, unfortunately, Pakistan chose to side with the terrorists and attacked India the next evening -- targeting Indian military facilities, schools, colleges, places of worship and homes," he said

"India was then forced to respond in equal measure, but it was still proportionate and limited to Pakistani military facilities. Pakistan's continued escalatory posture led India to respond on May 10 by targeting Pakistani military installations, causing significant damage to 13 of their airbases. This substantial and definitive damage to Pakistan's military infrastructure forced Pakistan to reach out to India, and consequently, both sides reached an understanding to stop hostilities," Jha added.

Highlighting that terrorism is a global scourge and all countries must act together to deal with it, the High Commissioner said it is noteworthy that when Sri Lanka suffered from the Easter terror attacks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was only global leader who visited Sri Lanka to express India's solidarity with the victims of the attack.

He emphasised that the underlying principle of Operation Sindoor is zero tolerance for terrorism, adding that Sri Lanka has itself been a victim of terrorism and shares the principle of zero tolerance.

Thanking President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Jha said, "As a country which has recently faced the devastating consequences of terrorism, Sri Lanka understands the pain and destruction it causes to communities, societies and their economies."

"Sri Lanka is a centrepiece of India's Neighbourhood First policy. Our relations today are marked by unprecedented trust and goodwill at all levels. Not just with Sri Lanka, but we have energy connectivity projects with our other neighbours such as Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh," said Jha, in response to Colombo's interest in connectivity with India in the energy sector.

Talking about the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), Jha said that Pakistan is a country that has "consistently maintained a hostile posture towards India, not least through the implementation of terrorism as state policy."

"Pakistan is globally recognised as an epicentre of terrorism. There has hardly been a terrorist incident in the world in the last three decades without Pakistan's fingerprint or direct involvement," he further added.

--IANS

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