India ready to strike anywhere in Pakistan if provoked by terror attacks, says Jaishankar

Nearly three weeks after the end of a confrontation between India and Pakistan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has asserted that the root causes of the brief conflict remain unchanged and that India stands ready to strike anywhere in Pakistan if provoked by terrorist attacks.

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"It [Pakistan] is a country very steeped in its use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy. That is the whole issue," he said in an interview with Politico during a visit to Brussels.

Asked if the conditions that led to the outbreak of the war last month were still in place, he said: "If you call the commitment to terrorism a source of tension, absolutely it is." Mr Jaishankar did not deny the destruction of Indian Air Force planes, but said the appropriate authorities would communicate on the matter when ready.