Quad condemns Pahalgam terror attacks, calls for perpetrators to be brought to justice

Quad Foreign Ministers condemned the Pahalgam terror attack in the “strongest terms”, a joint statement issued in Washington said, calling for the perpetrators of the attack to be brought to justice “without any delay”. Without directly naming China, the Quad grouping expressed “serious concerns” about the situation in the East China Sea and South China Sea, describing acts of coercion and militarisation in the region, as well as the restrictions on critical supply chains.

The statement was issued after the four Ministers— External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Australian FM Penny Wong, Japanese FM Iwaya Takeshi were hosted by U.S. Secretary of State for the FMM, held ahead of the Quad Summit expected to be held in November in India this year. 

“The Quad unequivocally condemns all acts of terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, and renews our commitment to counterterrorism cooperation,” the statement said, condemning the April 22 Pahalgam terror attacks in which 26 were killed.  “We call for the perpetrators, organizers, and financiers of this reprehensible act to be brought to justice without any delay and urge all U.N. Member States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant UNSCRs, to cooperate actively with all relevant authorities in this regard,” it added. The reference to “relevant” authorities, not “Indian authorities” was also made in the U.N. Security Council Resolution passed in April 2025 after the attacks. 

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Mr. Jaishankar said that he “expected” Quad partners to understand and appreciate that India will exercise its right to “defend its people against terrorism”.

The Quad Ministers said they strongly oppose “any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion” in the Indo-Pacific.

“We express our serious concerns regarding dangerous and provocative actions, including interference with offshore resource development, repeated obstruction of the freedoms of navigation and overflight, and the dangerous manoeuvres by military aircraft and coast guard and maritime militia vessels, especially the unsafe use of water cannons and ramming or blocking actions in the South China Sea”, it added, in specific references to actions by the PLA without directly naming China.

They said they had agreed on a “new agenda” to focus on four key areas: maritime security, economic prosperity and security, critical and emerging technologies, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR).

The four Ministers had held a meeting in Washington after attending the inauguration of U.S. President Trump in January this year. However, this was the first formal Quad FMM since the new government took over. In a significant departure from previous Quad Foreign Minister statements, most notably under the previous US Biden administration, however, the joint statement issued dropped references to the Russia-Ukraine war, and Israel-Gaza conflict, indicating a more narrow geographical focus than before, with greater emphasis on the Indo-Pacific region.

“Through this renewed focus, we will sharpen the Quad’s ability to leverage our resources to address the region’s most pressing challenges,” the statement said. 

A separate “fact-sheet” released by the U.S. State Department listed a number of agreements during the meeting, including the launch of a Critical Minerals Partnership, a “Quad Ports of the Future Partnership” conference which will be held in Mumbai in October 2025, and the first-ever “Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission” underway where Quad partners have embarked as observers on a U.S. Coast Guard Cutter from Palau to Guam. “Later this month, the Quad will hold the second maritime legal dialogue to advance efforts to uphold maritime order,” it said.