Key points
- Israel’s ambassador likens Pahalgam attack to October 7 Hamas strike.
- Critics slam both nations for masking occupation as anti-terrorism.
- Pakistan advocates global stance against state-sponsored oppression.
ISLAMABAD: In a meeting that underscores the deepening ties between two nations frequently accused of state-sponsored repression, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with Israel’s Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, on Friday in New Delhi.
Describing the meeting as a “good discussion,” Jaishankar stated that the talks focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation, particularly in the domain of “counter-terrorism”—a term both nations have repeatedly weaponised to justify brutal crackdowns on innocent civilians in occupied territories.
Following the meeting, India’s Ministry of External Affairs posted a photo with Ambassador Azar on X, praising Israel’s “steadfast support” in combating what it called “cross-border terrorism.”
Observers in Pakistan and beyond see this rhetoric as a thin veil over India and Israel’s joint policies of aggression, especially in Kashmir and Palestine, where systematic oppression is carried out under the garb of fighting terrorism.
The timing of the meeting is notable—just a day after Azar equated the recent Pahalgam incident in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir with the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack in Israel. “These terrorist groups are inspiring each other,” Azar said, drawing an inflammatory and misleading parallel between resistance against military occupation and acts of terrorism.
“There are similarities between the Pahalgam attack and what happened on October 7 in Israel. Innocent tourists were enjoying their vacation in Pahalgam, while in Israel, people were celebrating a music festival,” he added.
Azar’s statements sparked outrage among rights activists who view both India and Israel as occupying powers using the “war on terror” narrative to deflect international attention from their own human rights violations. His appeal to the global community to “expose the state sponsors of terrorism” comes across as ironic, given the well-documented state violence, illegal settlements, and demographic manipulation policies pursued by both governments.
While some global leaders rushed to express solidarity with India, few questioned the nature of the Indian military presence in Kashmir or the root causes of such attacks. This pattern of selective outrage mirrors the international response to Israeli operations in Gaza—where criticism of state-sponsored massacres is often muted by political interests.
Pakistan continues to urge the international community to adopt a consistent and principled stance on terrorism—one that distinguishes between legitimate struggles for self-determination and acts of indiscriminate violence.
As India and Israel bolster their alliance, their attempts to brand entire populations as “terrorists” only further expose the dangerous convergence of occupation, propaganda, and impunity.
