India faces 'perennial problem' of cross-border terrorism: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar took a swipe at Pakistan on the 19th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attack on the Parliament on Sunday (December 13), saying India continues to face “perennial problems” in cross-border terrorism.

“The national security challenges faced by this rising India are also going to be very different. At one level some of the more perennial problems associated with our national consolidation and development will continue. In particular, a long-standing political rivalry is expressed today as sustained cross-border terrorism by a neighbour,” he said while delivering the second Manohar Parrikar Memorial Lecture.

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He added: “In some case, activities of some insurgent groups needs to be continuously monitored and neutralised. But the world is a competitive place and India’s rise will evoke its own reactions and responses. There will be attempts to dilute our influence and limit our interests. Some of the contestation will be directly in the security domain, others could be reflected in economic, connectivity, even in societal context.”

Jaishankar also noted “the reality of limited war and coercive diplomacy is still very much a fact of life.” He added: “India matters more and our world views must process that in all its aspects. Our work style and mindset must adjust to raise the level of our game… Visualising and realising to a new range of national security complexities require the willingness to continuously review policy and audit performance.”

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We will never forget the cowardly attack on our Parliament on this day in 2001. We recall the valour and sacrifice of those who lost their lives protecting our Parliament. India will always be thankful to them.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 13, 2020

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to the security personnel who were martyred in the 2001 Parliament terror attack. “We will never forget the cowardly attack on our Parliament on this day in 2001. We recall the valour and sacrifice of those who lost their lives protecting our Parliament. India will always be thankful to them,” he said in a tweet.