In a forthright and uncompromising address at IIT Madras, External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar launched a sharp critique of Pakistan, labelling it a “bad neighbour” that continues to employ terrorism as state policy. He asserted India’s inherent right to defend its people and national interests, signalling a hardened stance that moves beyond diplomatic posturing to a clear doctrine of operational response.
“When it comes to bad neighbours who persist with terrorism, India has every right to defend its people and will do whatever is necessary,” Jaishankar stated. In a pointed rebuttal to international interlocutors, he made it clear that India would not accept external advice on handling terrorism. “How we exercise that right is up to us. Nobody can tell us what we should or should not do.”
Analysts view Jaishankar’s remarks as a significant evolution in India’s strategic communication. By explicitly referencing Pakistan’s sponsorship of terrorism and alluding to past actions like Operation Sindoor, the minister shifted the narrative from one of strategic ambiguity and intent to one of justified execution. The message is clear: India has moved into a phase where military and strategic responses to terrorism are framed as legitimate, standardised acts of self-defence, not escalatory measures of last resort.
This posture rejects any external moral or political equivalence between the perpetrator of terrorism and the victim state acting in self-defence. “You cannot request us to share our water with you and also spread terrorism in our country,” Jaishankar said, linking Pakistan’s demand for hydrological cooperation under the Indus Waters Treaty with its alleged cross-border terror activities.
Jaishankar juxtaposed India’s approach with its other neighbours, framing it as one of “common sense” and generous cooperation. He cited recent examples, including vaccine diplomacy during COVID-19, fuel and food support during the Ukraine conflict, and a $4 billion assistance package to Sri Lanka during its economic crisis.
“With good neighbours, India invests, helps and shares… India’s growth is a lifting tide for the region,” he said, highlighting visits like his recent trip to Bangladesh. This deliberate contrast paints Pakistan as an outlier in a region otherwise benefitting from India’s constructive engagement and economic rise.
The minister’s tough talk comes against the backdrop of severely frayed ties. Relations plunged to a new low after the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, where Pakistan-backed militants killed several tourists in Jammu and Kashmir. In response, India announced a series of punitive measures, most significantly the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty—a dramatic step that has fundamentally altered one of the few remaining operational frameworks between the nuclear-armed rivals.
Jaishankar underscored this context, stating that while many countries may have difficult neighbours, India’s challenge is uniquely severe due to Pakistan’s “deliberate, persistent and unrepentant” use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy.
The core strategic takeaway from Jaishankar’s address is the unequivocal assertion of India’s sovereign right to self-defence on its own terms and timeline. It marks a public doctrinal hardening, where counter-terror actions are normalised as a necessary function of the state. The message to Islamabad is one of deterrence, and to the international community, it is a demand for understanding, not mediation.
By framing the issue as a binary choice between being a “good neighbour” that reaps cooperative benefits or a “bad neighbour” that faces decisive retaliation, Jaishankar has drawn a clear line. India’s patience for what it sees as Pakistan’s duplicity has run out, and its response will be guided solely by its own assessment of threat and necessity.
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