‘There’s a link between state, non-state actors of terror’: India slams Pak

Foreign secretary S Jaishankar said the concept of state and non-state actors on the issue of terrorism was a “false dichotomy”, hitting out at Pakistan’s narrative that terror attacks on India were carried out by non-state actors.

India hit out at Pakistan on Friday, saying nations can’t escape responsibility over terrorist acts from their soil by just blaming “non-state actors”.

Foreign secretary S Jaishankar said the concept of state and non-state actors on the issue of terrorism was a ‘false dichotomy’, hitting out at Pakistan’s narrative that terror attacks on India were carried out by non-state actors. (Sonu Mehta/HT File Photo)

Foreign secretary S Jaishankar said the concept of state and non-state actors on the issue of terrorism was a “false dichotomy”, hitting out at Pakistan’s narrative that terror attacks on India were carried out by non-state actors.

He also said acting against some terror groups was not a justification to giving a free hand to other such groups.

Read: At Asian summits, Modi takes shots at China and Pak on sea dispute, terror

“There is a connect between state actors and non-state actors which is why we use the word ‘sponsored’. So, the state cannot escape responsibility by saying it is non-state. This is not just vis-a-vis India. It was the situation even after 9/11 (attacks),” Jaishankar said.

“We have always maintained the view that acting against some groups is not a justification for giving a free pass, leave alone active support, to other groups. So, you can’t have a segmented, differentiated fight against terrorism,” he said.

Jaishankar said the world has a better sense of the nesting ground of terrorism in the region, where terrorism is being bred and nurtured.

His remarks came as India upped the ante on the issue of “terror export” from Pakistan, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising it at the BRICS meet and East Asia Summit, where he called on the international community to isolate and sanction “this” instigator.

Modi urged other BRICS members to intensify joint efforts to combat terrorism and sought “coordinated actions” by the grouping to “isolate supporters and sponsors of terror”.

“There’s one country in our neighbourhood whose competitive advantage rests solely in producing and exporting terrorism,” he later said in his address at the East Asia Summit, without naming Pakistan.