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Why it matters
The remarks restate India's position that no state should get a pass on terrorism for strategic reasons, at a time when India is negotiating trade and security ties with the US, which has defended its relationship with Pakistan.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on terrorism had one line on 25 October 2026 that drew attention: some states, he said, still let “political calculations” decide how they deal with terror. Speaking at the Chinmaya Amrit Mahotsav Global Sammelan at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, held on UN Day, he called the use of terrorism as an instrument of statecraft “simply unacceptable”. He did not name any country.
Jaishankar on terrorism: the lines that drew notice
The event marked 75 years of the Chinmaya Mission, a spiritual organisation, and took “Non-Dualism for World Understanding” as its theme. Jaishankar used it to speak about threats to peace. These lines are as reported by the Asian News International (ANI) agency, carried by Daily Prabhat, and by the Press Trust of India (PTI) in The Week.
- “Terrorism is another deadly threat to peace. Its usage as an instrument of statecraft is simply unacceptable.”
- “It can never be justified. It can never be rationalised.”
- “Yet, it continues because not all states really display zero tolerance.”
- “Despite history holding so many lessons, some still allow political calculations to take precedence.”
He said the world must develop sharper awareness of this common threat and come together “with stronger resolve” against terrorism in all its forms, ANI reported. “Now, war anywhere threatens peace everywhere,” he said, according to PTI.
Statecraft here means the tools a government uses to pursue its aims abroad. Jaishankar did not say which states he meant.
Why the terrorism remarks are being linked to Rubio
The speech came five days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended Washington’s ties with Pakistan during his visit to India. In an interview with Network18 on 20 October, Rubio said Pakistan was a country the US has to have a relationship with, according to Outlook. The Times of India described Jaishankar’s Sunday remarks as a swipe coming days after that interview. Jaishankar himself made no reference to Rubio or the United States in the reported remarks.
NewsPlainly has set the two sets of remarks side by side, as reported, so readers can compare them.
| Topic | Rubio, Network18 interview, 20 Oct | Jaishankar, New Delhi, 25 Oct |
|---|---|---|
| Terrorism | “We are against terrorism anywhere in the world. We’re against anybody who sponsors terrorism” | Use as “an instrument of statecraft is simply unacceptable” |
| Dealing with states | Pakistan is “a country that we have to have a relationship with”; it “possesses nuclear weapons” | “Not all states really display zero tolerance” |
| Why | Ties could “help discourage the kinds of things that India is worried about” | “Some still allow political calculations to take precedence” |
| Names a country? | Yes, Pakistan | No |
Rubio also said balancing these ties was difficult but part of US foreign policy, Outlook reported. Neither the US State Department nor Pakistan’s foreign ministry had responded publicly to Jaishankar’s Sunday speech in reports available on the evening of 25 October.
What Jaishankar said about the UN
Because the speech fell on UN Day, the anniversary of the United Nations’ founding in 1945, Jaishankar also returned to India’s call for reform of the world body. “The UN must show leadership, not be a spectator to global crises,” he said, adding that large parts of the world “cannot be left out from decision-making”, ANI reported.
He linked conflict and development too. “The world cannot advance half prosperous and half denied in an era of intricate supply chains,” he said, calling that “a prescription for continuous instability”.
The UN Security Council has 15 members, 5 of them permanent with a veto, and India has sought a permanent seat for years.
What Jaishankar on terrorism means for India’s diplomacy
Jaishankar had made the same point to Rubio in person. On 20 October in Mumbai, he said India expects its partners to show zero tolerance towards terrorism, NewKerala reported. The Sunday speech repeated that test for all states, just after a US visit that Foreign Policy described as focused on business, trade and oil.
India and the US are working to close a trade deal, and Rubio’s visit took in Mumbai and Jamnagar, as NewsPlainly reported. Any public US or Pakistani response to the Delhi speech would be the next development to watch. NewsPlainly will report it if one is made on record.
Frequently asked questions
What did Jaishankar say about terrorism on 25 October 2026?
He said terrorism's use as an instrument of statecraft is simply unacceptable, can never be justified, and continues because not all states display zero tolerance.
Did Jaishankar name Pakistan or the US?
No. In the reported remarks he did not name any country. Media linked the speech to Marco Rubio's 20 October comments defending US ties with Pakistan.
What did Marco Rubio say about Pakistan?
In a Network18 interview he said Pakistan is a country the US has to have a relationship with, that it possesses nuclear weapons, and that the US is against anybody who sponsors terrorism.