Brics states condemn Pahalgam terror attack

Backed by the Pakistani state, UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed-led LeT and its proxy TRF carried out the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 last year Brics nations on Saturday strongly condemned the April 2025 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people, and called for concerted action against all UN-designated terrorists and strict accountability for those supporting terror.delhi-declaration-pahalgamBacked by the Pakistani state, UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed-led Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its proxy The Resistance Front (TRF) carried out the Pahalgam terror attack on the morning of April 22 last year, killing 25 Hindu tourists and one local pony operator from the Kashmir Valley. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has already filed two charge sheets in the terror attack, including one against Saeed. The three Pakistani terrorists who carried out the killings were killed in an encounter with security forces in July last year and now India is preparing to conduct a trial in absentia for Hafiz Saeed.In a joint statement issued in New Delhi, the 11-nation grouping said, “We condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April 2025, during which 26 people were killed and many more injured. We reaffirm our commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including the cross-border movement of terrorists, terrorism financing and safe havens”.Deep DiveWhile reiterating that terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilisation, or ethnic group, the Brics declaration stated that “all those involved in terrorist activities and their support must be held accountable and brought to justice in accordance with relevant national and international law.”“We urge to ensure zero tolerance for terrorism and reject double standards in countering terrorism”.Also Read: BRICS Summit 2026 LIVE: China, India can learn from each other’s strengths, Xi Jinping tells PM ModiThe Brics leaders further emphasized that the primary responsibility is that of States of combating terrorism. “Global efforts to prevent and counter terrorist threats must fully comply with their obligations under international law, including the Charter of the UN, in particular the purposes and principles thereof, and relevant international conventions and protocols, in particular international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, as applicable”, the statement added.The member states on Saturday welcomed the activities of Brics Counter-Terrorism Working Group (CTWG) and its five subgroups based upon the BRICS counter-terrorism strategy, the Brics counter-terrorism action plan and the CTWG Position Paper.“We look forward to further deepening counter-terrorism cooperation. We call for an expeditious finalization and adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism in the UN framework. We call for concerted actions against all UN designated terrorists and terrorist entities,” the statement added.The Brics nations further emphasized the importance of “countering extremism and radicalization” specially among the younger generations.In response to the terror attack, India had launched Operation Sindoor bombing nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in pre-dawn strikes --- in which at least 100 terrorists were killed --- and sparked a series of attacks and counter-attacks across the western border, involving fighter jets, missiles, armed drones, and fierce artillery and rocket duels. In one such attack on the night of May 9-10, the Indian Air Force struck targets at 13 Pakistani airbases and military installations. After four days of fighting, military hostilities were stopped on May 10 evening as the two nations reached an understanding.Neeraj Chauhan is a senior journalist with Hindustan Times and an investigative reporter specialising in national security, terrorism, organised crime, narcotics, corruption, financial crime and complex investigations. With over 21 years of experience across Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Pioneer, he has built deep expertise in India’s internal security and law-enforcement landscape. Neeraj has extensively covered India’s principal investigative, intelligence and security agencies, including the NIA, CBI, ED, IB, R&AW, MHA and other central security forces. His work has included deeply reported investigations into terrorism, terror financing, cross-border crime, narcotics trafficking, cybercrime, financial fraud and political and corporate corruption. He has reported on some of the most significant terror attacks and security developments in India over the past two decades, including the Delhi serial blasts, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the recent Pahalgam attack. His reporting has also chronicled the rise and decline of the Indian Mujahideen, the activities and subsequent crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI), Islamist extremist networks, the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgencies in the Northeast and Maoist violence. Some of Neeraj’s major breaking stories are in Aryan Khan drug case, Sushant Singh Rajput suicide, interception of a 3,000-kg Afghan heroin consignment worth about ₹21,000 crore at Mundra port, Sri Lanka easter bombings, Aarushi-Hemraj murders in Noida, 2G scam, coal block allocation scam, AgustWestland VVIP chopper deal and major bank frauds and extradition cases involving Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. His reporting is marked by an ability to cultivate sources, analyse confidential and complex documents, and follow investigations over several years—from the initial breakthrough to chargesheets, trials and international legal proceedings. He specialises in making complicated security and investigative developments accessible while examining their wider implications for governance and public policy. A Chevening South Asia Journalism Programme Fellow at the University of Westminster, Neeraj also spent time at the Financial Times as part of the fellowship. He was also a Robert Bosch Media Ambassadors India-Germany Fellow, studying at the University of Tübingen and working with Der Tagesspiegel in Berlin. He has previously taught investigative journalism and crime reporting as a guest faculty member at the Times School of Journalism. Over more than two decades, Neeraj has established himself as an authoritative voice on India’s national security and investigative landscape, with his reporting closely followed by officials, investigators, lawyers, policymakers and readers seeking insight into some of the country’s most complex and consequential developments.Read More