'Hand over terrorists, things will be over': Indian diplomat to Pakistan

India's Ambassador to Israel, JP Singh, stressing that Operation Sindoor against Pakistan has only been "paused" and is "not over", has urged the government in the neighbouring country to support the de-escalation by surrendering the key terrorists who were involved in several attacks on India.

In an exclusive interview with Israeli TV i24 on Monday (May 19), Singh emphasised that the Operation was only triggered by the dastardly terror attacks done by infiltrators in Pahalgam on April 22, where 26 Indian civilians were killed. "The terrorists killed people based on their religion. They asked people their religion before killing them and 26 innocent lives were lost", the Indian ambassador said.

Fight against terrorism to continue

He also stressed that "India’s operation was against terror groups and their infrastructure, to which Pakistan responded by attacking Indian military installations.” India was defending its own sovereignty by destroying terror targets that threaten its security, while Pakistan simply retaliated on Indian bases as a way of revenge.

Also read: Retreat ceremony for public to resume today on Pak border in Punjab

"The fight against terrorism will continue. We have set a new normal and the new normal is that we will follow an offensive strategy. Wherever terrorists are, we have to kill those terrorists and we have to destroy their infrastructure. So it is still not over but as we speak the ceasefire is still intact," Singh asserted.

He described India’s strike on Pakistan’s Nur Khan base on May 10 as a “game changer” that caused panic in Islamabad. According to Singh, Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) contacted his Indian counterpart to seek a ceasefire after the strike.

Hand over LeT terrorists

He urged Islamabad to hand over key terrorists Hafiz Saeed, Sajid Mir and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, similar to how the US extradited Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. LeT Chief Hafiz Saeed, Mir and Lakhvi are all key members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist organization with direct tie to the 2008 Mumbai attacks, prompting India's repeated appeal for their extradition to India to stand trial.

Citing a long list of terror attacks in India that originated from Pakistan, JP Singh said that the "root cause are these two groups — Jaish-e-Muhammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba".

Also read: LeT terrorist Razaullah Nizamani killed by unidentified gunmen in Sindh

The leaders of Lashkar-e-Taiba, who was behind the Mumbai attacks in which several Indians and Jews were also killed, continue to roam free without any persecution from Pakistani authorities, he noted. "They need to do a very simple thing - when the preamble includes goodwill and friendship, they just need to hand over these terrorists to us", the envoy stressed.

Dismissed Pakistan investigation on Pahalgam

Singh highlighted the continued freedom of terrorists responsible for major attacks in India, such as Lakhvi, Hafiz Saeed, and Sajid Mir, despite years of evidence and international pressure.

“When the US can hand over Rana, why can’t Pakistan hand over these terrorists? They have to simply hand over Hafeez Saeed, Lakhvi, Sajid Mir and things will be over."

Also read: Op Sindoor: IAF took ‘23 mins’ to jam Pak’s China-made defence systems, complete mission

Singh dismissed Pakistan’s offer to investigate the Pahalgam attack as a deflection tactic and asked about supposed Pakistani 'investigations' into the Mumbai, Pathankot, and Pulwama attacks.

"We have given dossiers and technical inputs. America has shared evidence. Yet, these men roam free,” he said.

Suspending Indus Water treaty an 'Act of war'

Addressing another claim of Pakistan saying that suspending the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) is an “act of war,” Singh countered that the treaty’s guiding principles—goodwill and friendship—were never upheld by Pakistan.

“While we allowed water to flow, Pakistan allowed terror to flow into India,” he said. He also stressed that Prime Minister Modi has made it clear—blood and water cannot flow together.

Also read: Political offshoot of Hafiz Saeed's banned JuD holds anti-India rally in Lahore

Singh said public frustration in India over Pakistan’s continued support for terrorism led to the treaty being put in abeyance. “While the IWT is in abeyance, another IWT is operational—India’s War on Terrorism,” he noted.

Global coordination against terrorism

He called for stronger global coordination among nations facing terrorism, saying that all those countries including India and Israel and many others that face the brunt of terrorism must expand their diplomatic and mutual support for one another, and form a coalition against terrorism and its supporters.

He concluded by saying that "Our prime minister has made it very clear — very clear — that we have zero tolerance on terrorism. We are not going to accept this cross-border terrorism".