Foreign Secretary Misri To UNSC Members: “April 22 Terror Attack Marked An Escalation For India”

May 7, 2025: Following India’s precision strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri briefed envoys and representatives from 13 UN Security Council (UNSC) member countries, assuring them that India’s response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack was “targeted, measured and non-escalatory.”

Misri stated that the brutal killing of 26 civilians in Pahalgam constituted an escalation for India. He underscored that The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), initially claimed responsibility for the attack but later withdrew under pressure. He also suggested that Pakistan’s unsuccessful attempt to secure a UNSC statement on the attack pointed to a deeper design.

“India’s response was focused strictly on terrorist infrastructure,” Misri said, emphasizing that no military installations were targeted. In contrast, he noted, Pakistan has resorted to shelling civilian infrastructure in the Poonch region.

Responding to concerns about potential escalation, Misri reiterated that any attack on civilian infrastructure by Pakistan would invite a proportional response from India. He also said it is too early to comment on casualties but affirmed that India has credible intelligence confirming the use of the targeted nine sites as terror training camps and launchpads. These included complexes containing madrassas, mosques, dormitories, playgrounds, and designated training areas.

India’s diplomatic outreach continues, with its mission in Washington reaching out to all UNSC members to clarify the rationale behind Operation Sindoor and highlight the intelligence behind the precision strikes.

At a joint press briefing earlier, Misri described the Pahalgam attack as “marked with extreme barbarity,” stating that most victims were executed at close range in front of their families to deliberately traumatize survivors and derail peace efforts in Kashmir.

“Our intelligence indicated the possibility of further attacks,” Misri said, adding that the strikes were necessary to deter cross-border terrorism. “Our actions were proportionate, responsible, and focused on dismantling terrorist infrastructure.”

Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Colonel Sofiya Qureshi also provided operational details of the strikes, with Singh confirming that all nine targets were successfully neutralized without civilian harm. Videos of the destruction were shown to the media to substantiate the operation’s precision and impact.

Operation Sindoor, launched in the early hours of Wednesday, is considered India’s most significant counter-terror operation inside Pakistani territory since 1971.