Global terror struggle fragmentation

• The Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 has highlighted global fragmentation in the fight against terror.

• Countries like the US, US Vice-President J.D. Vance, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and the European Union have condemned the attack but called for restraint between India and Pakistan.

• The global fight against terror has shifted from a collective effort to individual states, with each state now left to fight for itself.

• The global fight against terror has shifted to “my terrorist” and “your terrorist” era, with Europe focusing on “its” terrorists, the U.S. on REMVE, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) using Islamophobia to condone terror.

• Canada and China have blocked proposals for India to “black-list” terrorists operating against India from Pakistani soil.

• The spread of terror in Asia and Africa has been exponential, with the Sahel region being the epicentre of terrorism.

• The international community’s focus on “your” terrorists is short-changing Africa, as it continues to ignore the spread of terrorism.

India’s Response to State-sponsored Terrorism from Pakistan

• India, the largest victim of state-sponsored terror from Pakistan, is focusing on regional stability rather than combating terror.

• The West’s fear of two developing countries using nuclear arms has led to calls for India to stop fighting cross-border terror.

• The Pahalgam terror attack, claimed by The Resistance Front, targeted tourists based on religion and killed a Muslim pony ride operator.

• The world’s silence on Hinduphobic attacks is concerning, especially when protests are dubbed anti-Semitic or Islamophobic.

• The U.S. Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, characterized the Pahalgam attack as a “horrific Islamist terrorist attack” and recognized the targets were Hindus.

• Pakistan’s presence in the UNSC has led to an emergency closed session on a “deteriorating regional environment and rising tension.”

• India’s move to keep the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance has also been targeted by Pakistan at the UNSC.

• India will continue to pressure the UNSC to stop any outcome document, unlike how Ethiopia and Egypt dealt with the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in 2021.

• India’s strategic partners should demand accountability from Pakistan rather than substituting harsh words for real action.

• The international community must act to deter and sanction Pakistan, not react episodically.

• India has an opportunity to lead in combating religiophobia against non-Abrahamic religions, and should take up the issue bilaterally with host countries.

• India should create geopolitical space through its strategic autonomy and multi-alignment policy and be prepared to use it when it matters.