New Delhi briefs more envoys as it steps up outreach

NEW DELHI: India continued to turn the diplomatic heat on Pakistan, reaching out to the international community and mobilising support to pin Islamabad down on the issue of cross-border terrorism . The ministry of external affairs continued to brief foreign envoys about the Pahalgam attackers' links with Pakistan, and PM Narendra Modi and foreign minister S Jaishankar engaged with their counterparts from across the world.

US director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said the US stood in solidarity with India, as India hunts down the perpetrators. The leaders of Denmark and the Netherlands also called the PM to express solidarity.

Jaishankar also spoke to his Saudi Arabia counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and briefed him about the cross-border linkages of the Pahalgam attack . Support from Riyadh, as indeed from the UAE, will be crucial in case of any conflict escalation with Pakistan. The Saudi foreign minister was also reported to have spoken to his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar about the situation with India after the attack.

Govt has so far received solidarity messages from over 130 countries. French President Emmanuel Macron and UK PM Keir Starmer called PM Modi to condemn the cowardly attack.

Jaishankar held separate meetings with Israeli envoy Reuven Azar, Argentina's ambassador Mariano Caucino, Egypt's Kamel Zayed and Nepalese envoy Shankar P Sharma. Following his meeting with Sharma, Jaishankar said he conveyed condolences to the ambassador on the death of a Nepali national in the Pahalgam terror attack.