The recent confrontation between India and Pakistan was not a "conflict in Kashmir", External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has asserted, saying such a description would be like putting the perpetrator and the victim of the Pahalgam attack at the same level.
The "horrific" strike in Pahalgam was aimed at creating a "fear psychosis", destroying Jammu and Kashmir's tourism sector and was meant to "sow religious discord, he said.
Jaishankar made the remarks during an interactive session at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin late last evening.
When asked about the "international implications of the conflict in Kashmir", he responded: "First of all, this was not a conflict in Kashmir, this was a terrorist attack."
"And a terrorist attack which is part of a pattern which has not only targeted the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, but other parts of India as well," Jaishankar said.
"It's very important to clarify because when you project it as a conflict, you're really putting the perpetrator and the victim, without meaning to, at the same level."
"So this was a horrific, particularly brutal terrorist attack because it was meant to create a fear psychosis and destroy the tourism economy of Kashmir, which is the mainstay," he said.
The external affairs minister was in Berlin in the third and final leg of his three-nation tour of the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany.
Under Operation Sindoor, India carried out precision strikes on nine terror infrastructures early on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Following the Indian action, Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10. The Pakistani attempts were strongly responded to by the Indian side.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on May 10 announced that India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea, with immediate effect.
In his remarks, Jaishankar said India targeted "terrorist headquarters and terrorist centres" in Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam attack.
"What we were responding to was terrorism and when we respond to such an attack, I think there was a lot of international understanding," he said.
Jaishankar also referred to a statement issued by the UN Security Council, that said people who did it should be brought to justice.
"And that is exactly what we did on May 7. So we targeted terrorist headquarters and terrorist centres. And our campaign is against terrorism," he said. -- PTI
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