‘Because we are big victims’: Jaishankar on India’s strong position on terrorism

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said that India takes a strong position on terrorism because its people are “big victims of terrorism”.

The remarks came as India recently abstained from a UN resolution that did not condemn Hamas terror attacks amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war that has claimed over 9,000 lives so far in the past three weeks.

“Today, a good government and strong governance stand up for its people. Just as good governance is necessary at home, right judgements are necessary abroad. We take a strong position on terrorism because we are big victims of terrorism. We will have no credibility if we say that when terrorism impacts us, it’s very serious; when it happens to somebody else, it’s not serious. We need to have a consistent position,” Jaishankar said while speaking in Bhopal.

India refrained from voting on a Jordanian resolution at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) which sought an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce” between Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

The Israel-Hamas war continues to intensify with Israeli air and ground operations against Hamas in Gaza following the October 7 attack that Israeli authorities say killed at least 1,400 people. More than 8,000 Palestinians have been killed on the other side, as per health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

The Jordanian-led resolution was adopted with 120 votes in favour, 14 against and 45 abstentions, including India, Iceland, Panama, Lithuania and Greece. The adoption came during the UNGA’s emergency special session on the Israel-Palestine crisis, where the assembly also demanded uninterrupted provision of lifesaving supplies for civilians in the conflict zone.

India’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Yojna Patel, expressed deep concerns over the deteriorating security situation and significant loss of civilian lives, urging both parties to de-escalate the violence.

While speaking in Bhopal, Jaishankar also pointed out that every country thinks of its own interests first. “So, how do you have a government that stands for what is necessary and in the best interest of its people? A strong government and good government are two sides of one coin,” Jaishankar said, noting that in the last few decades, India’s image in the world has changed a lot.

“The way we handled the pandemic when developed nations were too stressed — as some had a totally collapsed public health response — we made ‘Made in India’…’Invent in India’ vaccine, we had a COWIN platform as well,” the EAM said.

“Similarly, every other country looks after the welfare of its people and its economic interests. The same countries in Europe that were saying don’t buy oil from Russia, they themselves took it and made a schedule that would impact their own population the least,” he explained.