India on Friday responded to Pakistan’s protest over the reference to cross-border terrorism in a joint statement between India and Japan, by emphasizing that the document was not self-explanatory and addressed issues on which the two countries have a “certain point of view.”
The India-Japan joint statement, issued after a meeting in New Delhi between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaishi, strongly condemned all forms of terrorism, “including cross-border terrorism from Pakistan.” In response, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry made “strong efforts” to express its concerns to Japan through diplomatic channels.
“I would like to say that the joint statement adopted during the visit of the Prime Minister of Japan to India addressed several issues of a bilateral nature, as well as issues on which we have a certain point of view. I would like to say that our joint statement is self-explanatory,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a regular press conference when asked about Pakistan’s action.
According to the joint statement, Modi and Takaishi also condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in April 2025, which the UN Security Council Monitoring Team report linked to the Resistance Front (TRF), a Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba front. They also condemned the terrorist incident that occurred in Delhi in November 2025, and called for the perpetrators, organizers and financiers of this act to be brought to justice. They also called for coordinated action against UN-listed terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Lashkar-e-Taiba, JeM and their proxies.
A Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Thursday that a “strong effort” was taken when Islamabad conveyed its concerns to Tokyo through diplomatic channels. “Whenever there is engagement with India, India mandates the inclusion of such references in its joint statements, not only with Japan but also with other countries,” the spokesperson told reporters.
Jaiswal responded to another question on Pakistan, describing the arrest warrant issued by an Indian court for Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed in connection with the Pahalgam attack as a “politically motivated” act, saying Pakistan has sponsored cross-border terrorism for decades and used it as an instrument of state policy.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has described the non-bailable arrest warrant issued against Hafiz Saeed by a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in connection with the investigation into the Pahalgam terror attack as a “baseless and politically motivated” effort to link Islamabad to the incident.
“The terror attack in Pahalgam has claimed many innocent lives. You have all seen its brutality. Our authorities have initiated investigations into the matter and are continuing,” Jaiswal said. “With regard to cross-border terrorism, you are well aware of its decades-long sponsorship and support by Pakistan, as well as its continued use as an instrument of state policy.”
Regarding Islamabad’s rejection of the charges leveled by the NIA against several Kashmiri separatist leaders in connection with an incident that occurred in 1996, Jaiswal said Pakistan “has no right to comment on India’s internal matters.”
