Chennai, Jan 2: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday described Pakistan as a “bad neighbour” and said India has the right to defend its people against terrorism, asserting that decisions on how to respond would be taken solely by New Delhi.

Speaking to students at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Jaishankar said India would not accept external advice on matters of national security, an apparent reference to India’s military response under Operation Sindoor.

Right to Defend Against Terrorism
“You can also have bad neighbours. Unfortunately, we do,” Jaishankar said. Referring to Pakistan, he added that if a country “deliberately, persistently, and unrepentantly continues with terrorism,” India has the right to defend its citizens.

“How we exercise that right is up to us. Nobody can tell us what we should or should not do,” he said. “We will do whatever we have to do to defend ourselves.”

India launched Operation Sindoor last year after the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 civilians. New Delhi said the attack was carried out by The Resistance Front, a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. Indian forces subsequently targeted what officials described as terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Indus Waters Treaty Remarks
Jaishankar also referred to the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 with Pakistan, which was suspended after the Pahalgam attack. He said arrangements based on good neighbourliness could not continue in the face of sustained terrorism.

“You can’t say, ‘Please share water with me, but I will continue terrorism with you,’” he said. “That’s not reconcilable.”

Neighbourhood Policy
The minister said India had a range of neighbours and that its approach depended on their conduct. “If you have a neighbour who is good to you, or at least not harmful, your instinct is to help,” he said.

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Escalation and Ceasefire
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam attack. On May 7, India carried out strikes on multiple targets across the border, saying they were terror camps. Pakistan responded with missile and drone attacks, which India said were intercepted. Indian forces later struck Pakistani airfields. A ceasefire was announced on May 10.