'No one undermined democracy in Pakistan in so many ways': Jaishankar slams hypocrisy of West

NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar has sharply criticised the West for backing military regimes in Pakistan, saying no one has done more to undermine democracy in the country than Western powers.

In an interview with Danish daily Politiken, Jaishankar said, "No one has supported the military regime and undermined democracy in Pakistan in so many ways as much as the West."

He pointed out that Pakistan has violated India's borders in Kashmir since independence in 1947, yet democratic Europe consistently stood by military dictatorships in the region.

"That large, democratic Europe has stood side by side with military dictatorships in the region," he remarked, calling the threat of terrorism one of the greatest collective challenges the world faces today, alongside climate change, poverty, and the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jaishankar, currently on a three-nation Europe tour including the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany, emphasised that India respects sovereignty and the sanctity of international borders.

“But my worldview and my view of Europe are shaped by my own experiences. You talk about the inviolability of borders — well, why don't we start with the inviolability of my borders?” he said. “That’s where my world begins,” the minister added.

On questions over India’s continued oil imports from Russia, Jaishankar defended the move, turning the lens on Europe’s scramble for Middle Eastern oil.

“Wealthy Europe turned to the Middle East because it had a problem with Russia and offered inflated prices to get oil redirected to Europe,” he said. “So what happened was that many countries — not just us — could no longer afford it.”

“What was the rest of the world supposed to do? Say ‘okay, we’ll just do without energy because Europeans need it more than us?’” Jaishankar added.

In a separate interview to Danish broadcaster TV 2, Jaishankar reiterated that the May 10 ceasefire understanding between India and Pakistan was a direct outcome of military-to-military communication — not mediated by any third party.

His remarks come amid US president Donald Trump’s claim that Washington helped broker the ceasefire.

“We had the conflict for a few days and we resolved that conflict for the moment… through an understanding for the cessation of fighting and military action,” Jaishankar said. “This was something that we negotiated directly between the militaries of the two countries,” he said.

Jaishankar said that on May 10, after India’s Operation Sindoor delivered a heavy blow to Pakistan’s terror infrastructure, Pakistan conveyed readiness to halt hostilities.

“We hit them very hard on the morning of May 10… and that caused the Pakistanis to say, ‘Ok, we’re prepared to stop the firing and reach an understanding,’” he said.

Under Operation Sindoor, India carried out precision strikes on nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7, in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.

Pakistan responded with attempted strikes on Indian military bases on May 8, 9, and 10, all of which were countered by Indian forces.

On May 10, foreign secretary Vikram Misri announced that India and Pakistan had agreed to cease all military action across land, air, and sea, with immediate effect.