Quad Condemns Pathankot, 26/11 Mumbai Attacks, Stresses Need For Global Counter-Terrorism Efforts

The foreign ministers of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States expressed a unified stance against terrorism during their meeting in Tokyo on Monday. In a joint statement, the Quad condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all forms, underscoring the need for global cooperation to address these threats.

In a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the four-nation grouping denounced the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), drones, and other technologies by terrorists. It reiterated condemnation of high-profile attacks, including the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and the 2016 Pathankot attacks.

‘Terrorist purposes’

“We urge all countries to take immediate, sustained and irreversible action to prevent territory under their control from being used for terrorist purposes. We are committed to working together to promote accountability for the perpetrators of terrorist attacks and support implementation including through domestic designations of UN Security Council resolutions as they pertain to sanctions,” the statement read, in an apparent reference to Pakistan.

The group reaffirmed its support for the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions related to counter-terrorism. This includes measures targeting terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaida, ISIS/Daesh, Lashkar e-Tayyiba, and Jaish-e-Mohammad.

“We are committed to international cooperation and working together with our international and regional partners in a comprehensive and sustained manner to strengthen their capacity to prevent, detect and respond to threats posed by terrorism and violent extremism including threats posed by the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes,” the statement added.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who was in Tokyo to attend the meeting, said the Quad is systemically embedded in the respective foreign policies of the member countries. He noted that the group has an expansive agenda, including fostering maritime partnerships, increasing connectivity, ensuring energy security, supporting dialogue, and sharing the benefits of technology with the Global South.

“Concluded an extremely productive and detailed Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting today in Tokyo. Thank @Kamikawa_Yoko, @SecBlinken, and @SenatorWong for sharing their assessments,” he said in a post on X. Underlining that the Quad is not a talk shop but a platform that generates practical outcomes, Jaishankar emphasized that the group involves democratic polities, pluralistic societies, and market economies working together for a free and open Indo-Pacific, a rules-based order, and global good.