WHO'S WITH US?

Countries fighting terrorism and radicalism are quick to identify with India over Pahalgam

- P.R, KUMARASWAMY

THE PAHALGAM TERRORIST attack has highlighted the cleavages in the Middle East on terrorism. In recent years, almost all major countries in the region have been victims of terrorism. While most responded quickly to the tragedy, others took time or made perfunctory statements. Their response underscores not only their proximity to Pakistan, but also a selective application of their counter-terrorism doctrine.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was among the first to call Prime Minister Narendra Modi and condemn the attack, and, as the ministry of external affairs disclosed, Modi “shared the barbaric nature of the cross-border terrorist attack and reiterated India’s firm resolve to bring the perpetrators and their supporters to justice”. This was followed by the meeting between the External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Israeli Ambassador Reuven Azar. This quick response is reminiscent of Modi's reaction to the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led terror attack, in which over a thousand Israelis were killed.

Likewise, Arab countries such as Jordan and Egypt, which are at the receiving end of the violence, especially from Muslim Brotherhood elements, were quick to strongly condemn the Pahalgam attack. Only a few days earlier, King Abdullah of Jordan had banned the Muslim Brotherhood for engaging “in activities that could undermine stability and security” in the Hashemite kingdom. For long,