US-India relations: Quad document omits terrorism, raising concerns over US stance
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The duplicity of the US, which boasts of fighting terrorism on the global stage, has once again come to the fore. A recent document released by the US State Department regarding the Quad group has ignored India's concerns, raising questions about the Trump administration's intentions. While the document boasts extensively on issues like maritime security, economic prosperity, technology, and humanitarian assistance in the Indo-Pacific region, it remains silent on the serious issue of terrorism. This document comes at a time when India has suffered horrific terrorist attacks in Pahalgam and near the Red Fort this year, and even Quad member Australia has been the victim of terrorism at Bondi Beach.
This US stance is surprising because the US's tone was completely different at the Quad Counter Terrorism Working Group (CTWG) meeting held in New Delhi on December 4th and 5th, 2025. At that meeting, the US, India, Japan, and Australia unanimously condemned cross-border terrorism and resolved to bring to justice the perpetrators of the terrorist attack near the Red Fort on November 10th. However, when it came to issuing official documents, the US cleverly avoided the issue of terrorism. Diplomatic experts believe that this US policy of supporting the platform and omitting the issue in the documents exposes its duplicity.
This year, India has suffered deeply from the wounds of terrorism. On April 22, 2025, Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists killed 25 tourists and a local civilian in the Baisaran Valley of Pahalgam, Kashmir, after questioning their religion. At the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting in July, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the incident. At that time, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar made it clear that India would go to any lengths to protect its people, following which India carried out Operation Sindoor. At that time, it seemed that the US stood firmly with India, but the new document has proven that there is a huge discrepancy between America's words and actions.
Recent developments clearly demonstrate that the commitments made at meetings to a terrorism-free Indo-Pacific are not a priority for the US administration. While Quad joint statements have mentioned Pakistan-sponsored terrorism (without naming it) and the Pahalgam attack, their absence from this new document is a matter of concern for India. This approach by the Trump administration not only contradicts the original spirit of the Quad but also undermines the global fight against terrorism.