Jaishankar flags US ‘insensitivity’ to India’s Pakistan terror concerns, says it impacts Washington-New Delhi ties

Jaishankar also said India's relationship with China was better than it had been in 2025 and better still compared with 2024. However, he cautioned against treating that recovery as a fundamental change in the relationship.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said the United States’ lack of sensitivity towards India’s concerns over terrorism emanating from Pakistan is affecting relations between Washington and New Delhi.

Although Jaishankar did not name Pakistan directly, he made clear that he was referring to India’s neighbour, which he said had used terrorism as a deliberate policy for decades.
His remarks also amounted to criticism of US President Donald Trump for developing close relations with Pakistan while overlooking its role in supporting terrorism.

‘Very few countries’ have faced such terrorism

"Perhaps there are very few countries which have been subjected to the kind of terrorism that we have from a neighbour as part of a deliberate, conscious policy over many, many decades", Jaishankar said on Monday.

For India, he said, the issue of terrorism was therefore "particularly important".

"Now, if something which matters so deeply to us, there isn't enough understanding or appreciation or empathy of that, I think that creates a problem", he said.

"If one of my primary concerns is not fully appreciated by my partner, then clearly there is an impact on the relationship", Jaishankar added.

He made the comments during an event in New York, where he was asked about factors hindering better US-India relations.

Jaishankar said that, besides trade, the lack of sensitivity towards India's concerns over terrorism was also a factor.

Shift in US approach towards Pakistan

Trump has entirely walked away from the issue of terrorism when it comes to Pakistan, marking a change from the policies of previous US administrations.

Previously, the US recognised Islamabad's role in backing global terrorism, which reached its height with the 2001 attacks by al-Qaida on the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon outside Washington.

Pakistan's role as an accessory to the attacks was exposed when al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden was found to be living under Pakistan's protection.

India-China ties improve, but border remains key: Jaishankar

EAM S Jaishankar also said that India-China relations have improved from the depths reached during their border stand-off, but the condition of the frontier will continue to determine how far the two countries can normalise ties.

He said India's relationship with China was better than it had been in 2025 and better still compared with 2024. However, he cautioned against treating that recovery as a fundamental change in the relationship.

"I don't think it's structural change so much as" a recovery from how far ties had deteriorated, he said. After the events of 2020 and the prolonged border stand-off, normal contact between the two countries had been severely affected.

Trade continued, but official exchanges, visas and flights were disrupted, Jaishankar said. As the stand-off eased, some of those contacts began to return.

Jaishankar described the resumption of contact as a natural consequence of stabilisation rather than proof that the underlying issues between the two countries had disappeared.

He said India had argued for years that a prolonged breakdown served neither country.

"A dip in our relationship actually doesn't help either of us", he said, adding that third parties could benefit from such a situation.

The principle guiding India's approach, he said, was to avoid remaining trapped in a dispute that worked to the advantage of others. He suggested it had taken time for the Chinese side to accept that logic.

Jaishankar said an improvement in ties strengthened India's position both in its dealings with China and in its wider international relationships. But he said India would seek practical solutions on its own terms.

"If I can find a solution that works for me, I would rather do that", he said.

"The state of the border determines the state of the relationship", Jaishankar said. "You can't have tension, if not worse, on the border and say the relationship should be normal."

As the border moves closer to normalcy, the broader relationship can do the same, he said. A more normal relationship would benefit both countries, although his remarks stopped short of suggesting that their differences had been settled.

The comments came in response to a question about increased flights and official engagement between India and China. Jaishankar distinguished the return of contacts that had been interrupted and a bigger change in the relationship. The first could follow a reduction in border tensions; the second required a more durable foundation.

India’s balance of power with major powers

His assessment also formed part of a wider argument about India's foreign policy. Countries were seeking a balance among several major relationships, he said, while reducing the risk of depending too heavily on any one partner.

For India, that meant weighing its ties with China alongside those with the United States, Europe, Japan, Russia and others.

India and China share a long, disputed frontier. A deadly clash in the Galwan Valley in 2020 brought their border tensions to international attention and sharply affected bilateral ties.

The two countries have continued to trade despite their political and security differences. India has consistently linked a fuller recovery in relations to peace and stability along the border.

(with IANS inputs)

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