‘Pakistan does not get to play the victim...’: Nikki Haley supports India’s ‘right to retaliate’ 

Former US presidential candidate and UN ambassador Nikki Haley expressed strong support for India’s right to retaliate following the deadly terror attack that killed 26 people in Pahalgam on April 22. Supporting India’s right to retaliate Haley said ‘Pakistan does not get to play the victim’. 

In a post on X (formally Twitter), Haley wrote, “Terrorists launched an attack that killed dozens of Indian citizens. India had every right to retaliate and defend itself. Pakistan does not get to play the victim. No country gets a pass for supporting terrorist activity.” 

Despite global support for India’s right to retaliate and defend its territorial integrity after the Pahalgam attack, Pakistan is intensifying efforts to portray itself as a victim by publicising false narratives that civilians were targeted during ‘Operation Sindoor’. 

The Pahalgam attack marked the initial escalation in the recent tensions, and Operation Sindoor was only a response to this attack, said Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. Indian forces responded to this escalation with a measured and precise action, he said.  

India has strongly countered Pakistan's claim that only civilians were killed in the precision strikes under Operation Sindoor, pointing to the nature of funerals held for the dead at Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Muridke compound.  

In a second briefing after Operation Sindoor, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri questioned Pakistan's narrative, citing visuals of serving Pakistan Army officers participating in ceremonial funerals of those killed at the Lashkar camp. 

India’s airstrikes under Operation Sindoor also targeted Jaish-e-Mohammed's Subhanallah complex in Bahawalpur and other launchpads in PoK. The operation was launched in retaliation for the April 22 massacre in Pahalgam, which killed 25 civilians including tourists. 

There has been considerable unfounded disinformation from across the border. Pakistan has attempted to deny any involvement in terrorist activities, despite its well-known reputation as a hub of global terrorism, he said. The country has supported cross-border terrorism for years and is home to many terrorists proscribed by the United States.