Noting that India will deal with Pakistan purely bilaterally, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Friday asserted that India has zero tolerance for terrorism and it will never give in to “nuclear blackmail” from the neighbouring country.

Addressing a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in Berlin, Jaishankar said, “I come to Berlin in the immediate aftermath of India’s response to the Pahalgam terror attack. India has zero tolerance for terrorism. India will never give in to nuclear blackmail, and India will deal with Pakistan purely bilaterally. There should be no confusion in any quarter in that regard.”

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“We also value Germany’s understanding that every nation has the right to defend itself against terrorism,” the EAM said.

Germany has come out resolutely behind India and its fight against terrorism under Operation Sindoor.

The German foreign minister, while addressing the joint briefing with EAM Jaishankar in Berlin, said India has every right to defend itself against terrorism and strongly condemned the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

“We were appalled by the brutal terrorist attack on India on the 22nd of April. We condemned this attack on civilians in the strongest terms. Our deepest sympathy goes out to all victims and their families. After military attacks on both sides, India, of course, has every right to defend itself against terrorism,” he said.

Wadephul said the truce must be maintained for dialogue and bilateral solutions between the two conflicting parties – India and Pakistan.

“The fact that the truce is now in place is something we appreciate very much. What is important now is that this truce remains stable, that dialogue can happen in order to find bilateral solutions for that conflict, taking into account the vital interests of both sides,” he said.

“Germany and India have been fostering a regular dialogue on the fight against terrorism for years, and we intend to intensify it further,” Wadephul said.

“Germany will support any fight against terrorism. Terrorism must never have a place in the world, anywhere, and this is why we will support everyone who fights and has to fight terrorism. We very much appreciate that a ceasefire has been reached, and we hope that there will be a solution soon,” the German foreign minister added.

Jaishankar said the German government had conveyed its understanding that every country had the right to defend itself against terror.

“We had a conversation on the 7th of May, which is when we initiated our operations. It was a very understanding and positive conversation. And quite honestly, even before that, the German government had expressed solidarity. The minister very clearly conveyed Germany’s understanding that every nation has a right to defend itself against terrorism,” Jaishankar said.

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 as a decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed. Indian Armed Forces targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the death of over 100 terrorists affiliated with terror outfits like the Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.

After the attack, Pakistan retaliated with shelling across the Line of Control and Jammu and Kashmir as well as attempted drone attacks along the border regions, following which India launched a coordinated attack and damaged radar infrastructure, communication centres and airfields across eight airbases in Pakistan. On May 10, India and Pakistan agreed for a cessation of hostilities.