Subhechcha Ganguly 
The foreign ministers of the Quad nations — the United States, India, Japan, and Australia — on Wednesday strongly condemned the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians, most of them tourists. In a joint statement, the ministers called for the perpetrators, organisers, and financiers of the heinous act to be brought to justice.
The attack took place at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam town, where terrorists with suspected links to Pakistan opened fire on innocent civilians. In response to the attack, India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ on May 7, a coordinated military offensive that successfully targeted terror infrastructure across the border in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
During the Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The two leaders discussed strengthening the India-US bilateral partnership and exchanged views on key regional and global developments. Jaishankar is on an official visit to the United States from June 30 to July 2, at the invitation of Secretary Rubio.
Additionally, Jaishankar held a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth in Washington, D.C. The two discussed ways to deepen the growing defence partnership between India and the United States, focusing on shared strategic interests and enhanced cooperation.
In posts on X (formerly Twitter), Jaishankar described both meetings as “productive” and underscored the importance of shared values and mutual commitments in advancing bilateral and multilateral collaborations.
