Quad strategic alliance- the US, India, Japan and Australia has condemned the April 22 terror attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) but curiously did not mention Pakistan in their Collective Terrorism Statement.
Instead of providing evidence, India accused Pakistan of the Pahalgam attack, and this provoked the escalation of military conflict between the nuclear-armed foes. Pakistan made a denial and insisted on international inquiry.
According to Quad foreign ministers in a joint statement released following their meeting in Washington, they stated that they were condemning all acts of terrorism and violent extremism in any form and manifestations including cross border terrorism. They never accused Islamabad though.
This statement encouraged every member of the UN to collaborate in prosecuting the instigators of the attack, their organisers and their financiers.
Following the accusation, there was military tension, where Pakistan countered the Indian aggression with a military operation named, Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos.
Pakistan said it shot down six Indian fighter jets, including three of France-made Rafales, and damaged several drones.
On May 10, after 87 hours, the confrontation stopped with a ceasefire negotiated by the United States. US President Donald Trump declared the ceasefire on his social media, but India has played down his role stating that it was independent of any external pressure.
Pakistan however did not ignore Trump intervention and has officially nominated the American president as a candidate to win the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize because of his intervention in easing the crisis.
The April attack and the subsequent military flare-up can be considered one of the most serious escalations between the two countries in recent years, once again indicating fragile stability in South Asia and the geopolitical weight of the third-party mediation. .
