Brics member states on Saturday, in their New Delhi declaration, condemned the April 2025 terror attack at Baisaran meadow in Kashmir’s Pahalgam, in which 26 people were killed, while calling for fixing accountability of those supporting terror and seeking concerted actions against all UN designated terrorists.
Backed by the Pakistani state, UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed-led Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its proxy The Resistance Front (TRF) carried out the Pahalgam terror attack on the morning of April 22 last year, killing 25 Hindu tourists and one local pony operator from the Valley. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has already filed two charge sheets in the terror attack, including one against Saeed. The three Pakistani terrorists who carried out the killings were killed in an encounter with security forces in July last year and now India is preparing to conduct a trial in absentia for Hafiz Saeed.
The New Delhi declaration noted : “We condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April 2025, during which 26 people were killed and many more injured. We reaffirm our commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including the cross-border movement of terrorists, terrorism financing and safe havens”.
Deep Dive
What happened during the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025?
Why did BRICS member states issue a condemnation of the Pahalgam attack?
How does BRICS plan to address the issue of cross-border terrorism following the Pahalgam attack?
To be sure, the Rio de Janeiro declaration at the end of the 17th Brics Summit last year too condemned the attack in almost identical language.
{{/usCountry}}To be sure, the Rio de Janeiro declaration at the end of the 17th Brics Summit last year too condemned the attack in almost identical language.
{{/usCountry}}Sameer Patil, director, Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology at Observer Research Foundation (ORF) said, “The condemnation of April 2025 Pahalgam attack and its mention in the BRICS declaration is important given the diplomatic balancing that many of the member states including China had done at the time of the incident. However, what will be even more important and what remains to be seen is what the grouping does to address the root cause of terrorism, particularly cross-border terrorism. Concerns such as financing of terrorist activities, safe havens for terrorist organisations and their use of cyberspace and emerging technologies remain important issues and the Brics will need to show real progress on the ground for this condemnation to be relevant.”
Meanwhile PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti welcomed the Brics condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack, but questioned the bloc’s silence on the conflict in Gaza and the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. She said, “Welcome the BRICS condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack. But India, as the current Brics chair, should have shown courage and true leadership by moving a resolution that also unequivocally condemned Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the US-Israeli attack on Iran, which not only killed several of its political leaders but also hundreds of schoolchildren. Terrorism cannot be condemned selectively. Civilian blood has no nationality, and international justice cannot have double standards.”
While reiterating that terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group, the New Delhi declaration stated that “all those involved in terrorist activities and their support must be held accountable and brought to justice in accordance with relevant national and international law.”
“We urge to ensure zero tolerance for terrorism and reject double standards in countering terrorism”.
Brics leaders further emphasized that the primary responsibility is that of States of combating terrorism. “Global efforts to prevent and counter terrorist threats must fully comply with their obligations under international law, including the Charter of the UN, in particular the purposes and principles thereof, and relevant international conventions and protocols, in particular international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, as applicable”, the statement added.
The member states on Saturday welcomed the activities of Brics Counter-Terrorism Working Group (CTWG) and its five subgroups based upon the Brics counter-terrorism strategy, the Brics counter-terrorism action plan and the CTWG Position Paper.
“We look forward to further deepening counter-terrorism cooperation. We call for an expeditious finalization and adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism in the UN framework. We call for concerted actions against all UN designated terrorists and terrorist entities,” the statement added.
The Brics nations further emphasized the importance of “countering extremism and radicalization” specially among the younger generations.
In response to the terror attack, India launched Operation Sindoor, bombing nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in pre-dawn strikes --- in which at least 100 terrorists were killed --- and sparked a series of attacks and counter-attacks across the western border, involving fighter jets, missiles, armed drones, and fierce artillery and rocket duels. In one such attack on the night of May 9-10, the Indian Air Force struck targets at 13 Pakistani airbases and military installations. After four days of fighting, military hostilities were stopped on May 10 evening after the two nations reached an understanding.