Pahalgam attack: Putin agrees no compromise on terror, seeks action against perpetrators

Agreeing with PM Narendra Modi on the need for an “uncompromising” fight against terrorism , Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call with PM Narendra Modi stressed that the perpetrators of the Pahalgam terrorist attack and their supporters must be brought to justice.

Putin, who had written to Modi on the day of the attack (April 22) expressing hope the perpetrators will get deserved punishment, strongly condemned the massacre in remarks seen as a strong endorsement of India’s position, at a time the Indian government is considering military options to defang the threat of cross-border terrorism from Pakistan.

Putin’s remarks also came in the middle of calls by the West and India’s important Gulf partners for de-escalation and restraint. Russia’s own foreign minister Sergey Lavrov spoke to counterpart S Jaishankar last week and urged India to resolve “disagreements” diplomatically and politically, in line with the Simla Agreement that Pakistan has threatened to put in abeyance.

No mention of restraint against Pak in Kremlin readout on talks

There was no mention of restraint or use of diplomatic means in the Kremlin readout on this occasion as it said that Putin again expressed his sincere condolences over the death of Indian citizens because of the “barbaric terrorist attack” on April 22 in Pahalgam in southern Kashmir. “Both sides emphasized the need for an uncompromising fight against terrorism in all its manifestations,’’ it added.

Expressing the same sentiment in its own version of the talks, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) quoted Putin as emphasising that the perpetrators of the heinous attack and their supporters must be brought to justice. “President Putin called PM Narendra Modi and strongly condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam, India. He conveyed deepest condolences on the loss of innocent lives and expressed full support to India in the fight against terrorism,’’ said spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

Putin’s call for action against the perpetrators and their backers echoed US President Donald Trump’s initial reaction to the attack in which he expressed full support for India’s efforts to bring the Pahalgam terrorists to justice. In the past week or so, there has been pressure on India from the US to work with Pakistan for de-escalation, as evident from the State Department’s readout of secretary of state Marco Rubio’s last conversation with Jaishankar.

In the talks on Monday, Modi also reiterated the invite for Putin to visit India for the annual India-Russia summit and the latter accepted it “with gratitude”. According to Russian authorities, the strategic nature of Russia-India relations as a special privileged partnership was emphasized. “These relations are not subject to external influence and continue to develop dynamically in all areas,’’ said the Russian readout.

Modi also congratulated Putin for the upcoming May 9 Victory Day celebrations. Russia had invited Modi for the event, but the government had nominated defence minister Rajnath Singh to represent India. However, Singh’s junior minister Sanjay Seth will now visit Moscow as Singh stays put here in the middle of rising tensions with Pakistan.