Quad leaders condemn ‘reprehensible' Pahalgam attack: ‘Perpetrators, organizers, financiers must be brought to justice'

Indian Express

02-07-2025

The Quad foreign ministers on Wednesday strongly condemned the Pahalgam terrorist attack, called for the 'perpetrators, organisers, and financiers of this reprehensible act to be brought to justice without any delay', and urged all UN member countries to cooperate with all authorities under international law in this regard.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japan Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya met in Washington, D.C, for the second Quad foreign ministers' meeting this year, and the first since Operation Sindoor.
While there was no mention of the Russia-Ukraine war or the conflict in the Middle East or West Asia in the joint statement issued after the meeting, from New Delhi's perspective, the mention of the Pahalgam terror attack is significant. Ahead of the meeting, Jaishankar had said that India expected its Quad partners to understand and appreciate that the country has every right to defend its people against terrorism, and it would exercise that right.
'The Quad unequivocally condemns all acts of terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, and renews our commitment to counterterrorism cooperation. We condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, 2025, which claimed the lives of 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen, while injuring several others. We express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and extend our heartfelt wishes for a swift and full recovery to all those injured,' the joint statement said.
'We call for the perpetrators, organisers, and financiers of this reprehensible act to be brought to justice without any delay and urge all UN Member States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant UNSCRs, to cooperate actively with all relevant authorities in this regard,' it added.
They also launched the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative and announced plans to host the first Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network field training exercise this year and launch the Quad Ports of the Future Partnership in Mumbai this year.
The next Quad Leaders' Summit is to be hosted by India later this year.
'We are launching today the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative, an ambitious expansion of our partnership to strengthen economic security and collective resilience by collaborating to secure and diversify critical minerals supply chains,' the statement said.
'We continue to deepen our cooperation on maritime law enforcement cooperation through regional training initiatives, maritime legal dialogues, and Coast Guard cooperation. We plan to host the first Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network field training exercise this year to strengthen shared airlift capacity and leverage our collective logistics strengths to respond to natural disasters more rapidly and efficiently, providing support for regional partners. We also plan to launch the Quad Ports of the Future Partnership in Mumbai this year,' it added.
Reaffirming its steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, the Quad said, 'We underscore our commitment to defending the rule of law, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. As four leading maritime nations in the Indo-Pacific, we are united in our conviction that peace and stability in the maritime domain underpin the security and prosperity of the region. We are committed to a region where all countries are free from coercion and strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion.' This is in the context of the assertive behaviour by China in the region.
They said that they discussed the opportunities and challenges in the Indo-Pacific and how to further harness the strengths and resources of the Quad to advance peace, security, and prosperity, working with regional partners.
'To ensure the Quad's enduring impact, we are pleased to announce today a new, ambitious, and strong agenda focused on four key areas: maritime and transnational security, economic prosperity and security, critical and emerging technology, and humanitarian assistance and emergency response. Through this renewed focus, we will sharpen the Quad's ability to leverage our resources to address the region's most pressing challenges,' it said.
On China, the Quad foreign ministers said, 'We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East China Sea and South China Sea. We reiterate our strong opposition to any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion. We express our serious concerns regarding dangerous and provocative actions, including interference with offshore resource development, the repeated obstruction of the freedoms of navigation and overflight, and the dangerous maneuvers by military aircraft and coast guard and maritime militia vessels, especially the unsafe use of water cannons and ramming or blocking actions in the South China Sea. These actions threaten peace and stability in the region. We are seriously concerned by the militarisation of disputed features.'
The statement further added, 'We emphasise the importance of upholding freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea, and unimpeded commerce consistent with international law, as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). We affirm that maritime disputes must be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law, and reiterate that the award rendered by the Arbitral Tribunal on July 12, 2016 is a significant milestone and the basis for peacefully resolving disputes between the parties.'
The Quad foreign ministers said their cooperation with and support for ASEAN and its centrality and unity, the Pacific Islands Forum and Pacific-led regional groupings, and the Indian Ocean Rim Association 'remain unwavering'.
They also expressed concern about supply chains. 'We are deeply concerned about the abrupt constriction and future reliability of key supply chains, specifically for critical minerals. This includes the use of non-market policies and practices for critical minerals, certain derivative products, and mineral processing technology. We underscore the importance of diversified and reliable global supply chains. Reliance on any one country for processing and refining critical minerals and derivative goods production exposes our industries to economic coercion, price manipulation, and supply chain disruptions, which further harms our economic and national security,' the statement read.
The Quad foreign ministers also condemned 'North Korea's destabilising launches using ballistic missile technology and its continued pursuit of nuclear weapons in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs)'.
'We reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula consistent with relevant UNSCRs, and we urge North Korea to abide by all its obligations under the UNSCRs. We also express grave concern over North Korea's malicious cyber activity, including cryptocurrency theft and use of workers abroad to fund North Korea's unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs,' the statement said, adding that efforts to address contraventions of North Korea-related UNSCRs will continue to be supported.
'We urge all UN Member States to abide by their international obligations under the UNSCRs to implement sanctions, including the prohibition on the transfer to North Korea or procurement from North Korea of all arms and related materiel. We express deep concern about countries that are deepening military cooperation with North Korea, which directly undermines the global nonproliferation regime. We reconfirm the necessity of immediate resolution of the abductions issue,' it said.
The Quad foreign ministers expressed concern 'by the worsening crisis in Myanmar and its impact' on the region. 'We call on the regime to adhere to its commitment to a ceasefire, and call on all parties to implement, extend and broaden ceasefire measures. We reaffirm our strong support for ASEAN's efforts, including calling for the full and effective implementation of the Five Point Consensus in seeking an inclusive, durable, and peaceful resolution to the crisis. We call on all parties to allow safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance. We are also concerned about the impact of the crisis on regional security and the spread of transnational crimes. We are committed to fighting cybercrime and online scam operations,' the statement said.
The Quad said it continues to coordinate rapid responses to regional disasters and collectively contributed 'over USD $30 million in humanitarian assistance to support communities affected by the earthquake that struck central Myanmar in March 2025'.
It added, 'We will continue to counter foreign efforts to push false narratives and interfere with Quad interests in the Indo-Pacific.'
It concluded by saying that as the 'Quad continues to evolve, our four democracies remain committed to deepening our cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and ensuring our cooperation has an enduring impact on the region's top challenges and opportunities in the 21st century.'
The Quad foreign ministers said that they were looking forward to the next Quad Leaders' Summit hosted by India later this year and the next Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting hosted by Australia in 2026.
Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism '2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury's special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban's capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More