“Pakistan Doesn’t Get to Play Victim”: Nikki Haley Supports India’s Right to Strike Back After Pahalgam Attack

May 8, 2025: Former US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, strongly supported India’s right to retaliate following the recent Pahalgam terror attack, while denouncing Pakistan for its continued support of terrorism.

In a post shared on X, Haley stated, “Terrorists launched an attack that killed dozens of Indian citizens. India had every right to retaliate and defend itself. Pakistan does not get to play the victim. No country gets a pass for supporting terrorist activity.”

Her statement came after India carried out Operation Sindoor, a series of targeted precision strikes on nine terrorist camps located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). The operation was launched in direct response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 innocent civilians.

India’s Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri, also addressed the issue during a joint press conference on Thursday, asserting that the original escalation came from Pakistan. He emphasized that India’s response was “controlled, precise, measured, considered, and non-escalatory,” focusing only on terror infrastructure and avoiding military targets.

“We are only responding to escalation. If further escalation occurs, the response will be in the appropriate domain,” Misri noted. He also highlighted Pakistan’s contradiction at the UN Security Council, where it downplayed the role of the group TRF (The Resistance Front), despite the outfit publicly claiming responsibility for the Pahalgam attack multiple times.

Misri criticized Pakistan’s global reputation, stating, “I don’t need to remind where Osama Bin Laden was found and who called him a martyr. Pakistan is home to a large number of UN-proscribed terrorists and many others listed by different countries.”

He also pointed to recent acknowledgments by Pakistani leaders themselves about their links to terror groups and condemned the symbolic treatment of slain terrorists. “It’s odd that funerals of civilians are being carried out with coffins wrapped in their national flag and state honours are being awarded,” he said.

India continues to maintain that its objective is to neutralize threats, not escalate conflict, and reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding national security through proportionate and justified action.