Pahalgam attack: EAM Jaishankar speaks to South Korean counterpart

India on 1 May, Thursday, reached out to South Korea in line with its diplomatic offensive to apprise the non-permanent members of the UN Security Council about the Pahalgam terror attack and its cross-border linkages.

External affairs minister S. Jaishankar spoke to his South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul and is understood to have conveyed India’s policy of “zero tolerance” towards terrorists.

The external affairs minister has already spoken to his counterparts from eight other non-permanent member nations of the UN Security Council.

Jaishankar’s phone conversations with foreign ministers of the non-permanent member nations of the UN Security Council assume significance, as Pakistan is also a member of the influential UN body for the 2025-26 period.

“Spoke with @FMChoTaeyul of South Korea this morning. Thanked him for RoK’s support and solidarity in light of the Pahalgam terror attack. Underlined the need to combat terrorism in all forms and manifestations,” the external affairs minister said on ‘X’.

The UN Security Council comprises 15 members, including the five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. It also has 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly.

In the last few days, India has reached out to various national capitals, apprising the governments there of the “cross-border” links to this terror attack.

Several world leaders, including US president Donald Trump, France's president Emmanuel Macron, Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Egypt's president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and prime minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni also called PM Modi to condemn the attack.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, UAE President Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Dutch PM Dick Schoof, US Vice President J D Vance, Australian PM Anthony Albanese and Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli also spoke to PM Modi.

Jaishankar’s phone calls with his counterparts from the non-permanent members of the UNSC come as India mulls options to respond to the terror attack.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the “perpetrators and conspirators” of the Pahalgam attack will be “served with the harshest response”.

“The whole world stands with 140 crore Indians in our fight against terrorism. I once again assure the affected families that they will get justice, and justice will be done,” Modi said in his ‘Mann ki Baat’ address.

“The perpetrators and conspirators of this attack will be served with the harshest response,” he said.

On Tuesday, PM Modi asserted that the armed forces have “complete operational freedom” to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India’s response to the Pahalgam terror attack.

He said this while chairing a meeting attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, NSA Ajit Doval and the chiefs of three services.

Modi affirmed that it is the national resolve to deal a crushing blow to terrorism, government sources said.

Terrorists on April 22 opened fire in Baisaran, a popular tourist spot in the upper reaches of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district, killing 26 people, mostly holidayers from other states.