The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), comprising India, the United States, Japan, and Australia, strongly condemned the April 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam and voiced serious concerns over China’s assertive behavior in the Indo-Pacific during a Foreign Ministers meeting held in Washington.
In a joint statement, the Quad called the Pahalgam attack—which killed 26 people—a “reprehensible act of terrorism,” and urged that the perpetrators, organizers, and financiers be brought to justice without delay. “The Quad unequivocally condemns all acts of terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism,” the statement read.
India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the summit, emphasized India’s right to self-defense and called on Quad partners to understand the strategic imperatives driving its counterterrorism posture.
The statement also highlighted increasing concern over China’s aggressive military maneuvers in the South and East China Seas. The Quad cited “dangerous and provocative actions,” including the use of water cannons, ramming tactics by Chinese maritime militia, and obstruction of navigation rights, which pose a direct threat to regional peace and stability. Japan and Australia have reportedly faced growing military pressure from Beijing, with live-fire naval exercises near Australian waters earlier this year alarming regional security observers.
The Quad also touched on broader regional issues, including the civil conflict in Myanmar and security threats posed by North Korea. To streamline coordination, the group announced a renewed focus on four key areas: maritime and transnational security, critical and emerging technologies, economic prosperity, and humanitarian assistance.
Among the initiatives unveiled was the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative aimed at securing supply chains for vital resources. A new joint training exercise focused on enhancing shared airlift and logistics capacity will be conducted later this year. Plans were also announced for the “Quad Ports of the Future Partnership,” scheduled to launch in Mumbai in the coming months.
With India set to host the Quad Leaders Summit later this year, momentum is building around deeper strategic cooperation and a collective response to regional threats.
