India-Pakistan war: Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton spoke out after the recent Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 innocent people. In an interview, he shared that India has every right to protect itself and take action if needed. The brutal attack happened on April 22 and was carried out by four terrorists. Two of them were Pakistani nationals. Reports say the attackers chose their victims based on religion, which has made the situation even more painful and serious.
Bolton who had also served as the US Ambassador to the United Nations, said he was deeply concerned about the rising terror activity in the region. He remembered a similar situation back in 2019, when the Pulwama attack took place. That attack killed 40 CRPF personnel and was carried out by the Jaish-e-Mohammad, a terror group based in Pakistan.
He said, “I think it’s very important to continue the work to find exactly what the circumstances of this were. When I was the National Security Advisor, we faced a comparable situation in 2019, with a terrorist attack that emanated from Pakistani soil. And we consulted closely with senior government officials.”
Bolton said that during that time, the US believed that if India was sure the attack came from Pakistan and that the Pakistani government either failed to stop it or helped it happen, then India had every right to act in self-defence. He said the same thing applies now.
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According to Mathrubhumi, he added “Our view at the time was that if the government felt that they were confident that this had emanated from Pakistani soil and that the government of Pakistan had failed to prevent the attack from taking place or had actually assisted it, then India had every right to act in self-defence.”
He also said that while nobody wants war or more fighting in South Asia, terrorist attacks are a big danger and no country should have to live with that kind of threat.
He said, “I think the same principle applies here. I do think it’s in India’s interest to be able to demonstrate, as convincingly as possible, what the circumstances were to justify a military response if that’s what they decide to do. Nobody wants to see a wider conflict in South Asia, but the threat from terrorist attacks is something that nobody has to live with. And that’s why, response and self-defence is fully permissible.”
US-Pakistan Relations
Bolton also talked about how the US has dealt with Pakistan’s links to terrorism for many years. He said this has been a big issue for both Republican and Democratic governments. After the 9/11 attacks, the US kept a close eye on Pakistan and warned that state support for terrorism is not acceptable.
He said it clearly, “We have said in both Republican and Democratic administrations that state sponsorship of terrorism, is not something we can accept. And, the terrorist activities that come from Pakistani territory, ultimately are going to find themselves attributed to the government if they don’t take action against them. It’s a difficult process but I am concerned about the potential threat from terrorist groups inside Pakistan or across the border in Afghanistan.”
He also said that groups like Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Toiba, which are based in Pakistan, have been targeting India again and again. And even though both the US and India have been talking to Pakistan for many years about this, nothing has really changed. That’s why, Bolton said, if India has proof that this Pahalgam attack was linked to Pakistan, then it has a right to respond. He also made it clear that the US doesn’t need to get involved in the issue. He said these are political problems and should not be handled through violence or terrorism.
He said, “Well, I think this is the kind of thing we have talked to the Pakistanis about for many, many years. Obviously, the government of India has done the same. And its lack of success is frustrating obviously. I think that is why India is justified if it can demonstrate the background for this attack in its own self-defence to use military force… I’m not suggesting that the US should get involved in it. I’m not sure either side would want that to happen in any event. But ultimately, these political questions ought to be addressed by political means and not through terrorism.”
India-Pakistan war: Bolton criticises nuclear threats
Recently, Pakistan’s Railway Minister Hanif Abbasi made a statement that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons are not just for show but meant “for India.” Bolton strongly disagreed with this kind of talk. He said these statements are not helpful at all. He warned that Pakistan doesn’t really want to start a full war with India because it knows how dangerous that would be. He explained that Pakistan’s military is much smaller than India’s and if they try to escalate the fight, it could lead to something very serious.
He added that nobody should even think about using nuclear weapons. He said that maybe Pakistan might think of using them first because of the imbalance in power, but that kind of thinking is very risky and dangerous for both countries.
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He said, “I don’t think that’s helpful at all. I don’t think Pakistan really wants a full-scale military confrontation with India. They know it, they know what the relative size of their conventional military is and how dangerous it would be to try and increase, to try and escalate the conflict that could threaten something even more than that. Obviously, the idea that India and Pakistan would resort to nuclear weapons, perhaps Pakistan first, because of the imbalance in the forces, is something that nobody should be contemplating. So, provocative statements by anybody don’t help to resolve the crisis. Whatever India decides to do in self-defence, I think it’s got a legitimate right to do it. But I hope that both sides here look to address the real problem, which is these terrorist attacks, that India shouldn’t be subjected to and Pakistan shouldn’t allow to happen.”
Bolton ended by saying that India has every reason to protect itself but also hoped that both countries would try to solve this problem without more violence. He made it clear that terrorism cannot be the way to solve political issues and that it is time Pakistan seriously stops terror groups from operating on its soil.
