No tolerance for terror, allies must understand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and external affairs minister S Jaishankar reiterated India's "zero tolerance" policy for terrorism and the need for decisive international action against terror and those who support it during meetings with British foreign secretary David Lammy on Saturday.

- Rezaul H Laskar

Modi said India valued Britain's backing for the fight against cross-border terrorism while Jaishankar said India's partners should understand the "zero tolerance" policy for terrorism as the country will never accept the perpetrators of terrorism being treated at par with victims.

The remarks by the top Indian leadership, made against the backdrop of several countries hyphenating India and Pakistan during last month's military clashes, reiterated to the world community New Delhi's new approach to fighting cross-border terrorism backed by Islamabad. Britain's foreign office had said before Lammy's meeting with Indian interlocutors that he would address how the current peace between India and Pakistan can be supported for regional stability.

Modi said in a social media post after meeting Lammy that he values "UK's support for India's fight against cross-border terrorism". He also appreciated Lammy's "substantive contribution to the remarkable progress in our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, further strengthened by the recently concluded FTA".

A statement from the external affairs ministry said Modi had "underscored the need for a decisive international action against terrorism and those who support it" - an apparent reference to Pakistan. The two leaders discussed regional and global issues and Lammy "strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror attack and expressed support for India's fight against cross-border terrorism", the statement said.