Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri presented results of investigation into the Pahalgam terror as proof of Pakistan’s links in a measured press briefing hours after India’s military strikes against nine terrorist sites in the neighbouring country and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The Foreign Secretary was firm but stayed away from triumphalism during the detailed briefing during which laid out India’s structured response to the terror attack and reasons for India to believe Pakistan’s involvement.
India has previously given proof — at the international fora, including the UN — of larger terror outfits using smaller frontal organisations to carry out terrorist activities here, Misri said, making it clear that this is not the first time concerns are being raised on Pakistan’s links in cross-border terrorist activities.
‘Exercising right to respond’
“Investigations into the Pahalgam terror attack have brought out the communication nodes of terrorists in and to Pakistan. The claims made by The Resistance Front and their reposting by known social media handles of the Lashkar-e-Taiba speak for themselves,” Misri said.
“India exercised its right to respond ….,” he added pointing out that the actions were “measured, non-escalatory, proportionate and responsible.”
According to him, The Resistance Front (TRF) , which has claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack “is a front for the UN-proscribed Pakistani terrorist group” — Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
“It is notable that India had given inputs about the TRF in the half-yearly report to the Monitoring Team of the UN’s 1267 Sanctions Committee in May and November 2024, bringing out its role as a cover for Pakistan-based terrorist groups,” he said.
Earlier too, in December 2023, India had informed the monitoring team about LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammad operating through small terror groups such as the TRF.
“Pakistan’s pressure to remove references to TRF in the April 25 UN Security Council Press Statement is notable in this regard,” he said during a media briefing.
Attackers Identified
Identification of the attackers, based on eyewitness accounts as well as other information available to law enforcement agencies, has also progressed.
“Our intelligence has developed an accurate picture of the planners and backers of this team. The features of this attack also tie in with Pakistan’s long-standing record of perpetrating cross-border attacks on India, which is well documented and beyond question,” he added.
In early hours on Wednesday, India launched “Operation Sindoor,” a series of missile strikes targeting nine terrorist camps, a direct response to the brutal April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, that claimed 26 lives, including 25 Indian tourists and one Nepali citizen.
Pre-emptive Intent
Misri highlighted the operation’s pre-emptive intent: “It was deemed essential that the perpetrators and planners of the Pahalgam attack be brought to justice,” he said.
By neutralising imminent threats, India likely averted further civilian casualties, a point Misri implied, but did not boast about.
“Our intelligence monitoring of Pakistan-based terrorist modules indicated that further attacks against India were impending. There was thus a compulsion both to deter and to pre-empt,” he said.
The operation was executed with precision and underscored India’s resolve to combat cross-border terrorism, Misri said, in an articulate tone, with a resolute stance, emphasising necessity and restraint while framing India’s actions within the bounds of international legitimacy.
The seasoned bureaucrat framed the strikes as a defence of sovereignty and communal harmony, not a call to arms.
Thwarting Communal Discord
The Pahalgam attack, he reiterated, was marked by chilling brutality. Militants gunned down civilians, mostly Hindus, in Baisaran Valley, targeting them for their religion and “executing them at close range to traumatize families and inflame communal tensions”.
“The manner of the attack was also driven by an objective of provoking communal discord, both in Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the Nation. It is to the credit of the government and the people of India that these designs were foiled. ” he said.
Making it clear that Indian intelligence found collusion of Pakistan, Misri linked the attack to LeT commanders. India’s actions meanwhile, he said, targeted only terrorist infrastructure, not Pakistani military facilities.”
Unlike in the past past, India-Pakistan flare-ups, where nationalist fervour often dominated public discourse, India’s response was notably devoid of saber-rattling.
“The latest attack in Pahalgam has understandably generated deep anger in Jammu and Kashmir, and in other parts of India. Following the attacks, the Government of India naturally responded with a set of initial measures relating to our engagement with Pakistan,” Misri said, maintaining a neutral stance and pointing out that India was a victim of cross–border terrorism.
Pahalgam Terror Attack Intentions
Incidentally, Pahalgam attack was clearly driven by the “objective of undermining the normalcy” returning to Jammu & Kashmir, Misri said.
In particular, it was designed to impact the mainstay of the economy, tourism, with a record 23 million tourists visiting the valley last year.
“The calculation, presumably, was that harming growth and development in the Union Territory would help keep it backward and create fertile ground for continued cross-border terrorism from Pakistan,” Misri said, crediting the government and people for thwarting communal discord.
Pakistan’s Inaction
Underscoring Pakistan’s inaction despite a fortnight of diplomatic pressure, Misri said, the neighbouring nation “has indulged in denials and allegations”.
“Despite a fortnight having passed since the attacks, there has been no demonstrable step from Pakistan to take action against the terrorist infrastructure on its territory or on territory under its control. Instead, all it has indulged in are denials and allegations,” he said.
He further indicated that India’s strikes were carefully calibrated to align with international norms, drawing implicit support from a United Nations Security Council statement on April 25, 2025, which condemned the Pahalgam attack and urged accountability for its perpetrators, organizers, financiers, and sponsors.
Misri referenced this, stating that India’s actions “should be seen in this light,” reinforcing the Operation Sindoor’s legitimacy.
“You would also recall that the Security Council on 25th April 2025 had issued a Press Statement on the Pahalgam terror attack, underlining, and I quote, “The need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice”. India’s latest actions should be seen in this context,” he said referencing Operation Sindoor.
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Published on May 7, 2025
