External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Jattvibeday said terrorism persisted because “not all states really display zero tolerance” towards it, with some continuing to put political calculations ahead of the lessons of history.His remarks came a week after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during a visit to India, defended Washington’s engagement with Islamabad, saying it could give the US greater influence over Pakistan’s decisions, including those related to terrorism. He also stressed that ties with Pakistan would not come at the expense of the US partnership with India.India has long accused Pakistan of aiding and abetting terrorism. Though Jaishankar did not name Pakistan, his remarks appeared to allude to concerns over states that continue to tolerate or support terrorism for political reasons.“Terrorism is another deadly threat to peace. Its usage as an instrument of statecraft is simply unacceptable. It can never be justified. It can never be rationalised. Yet, it continues because not all states really display zero tolerance. Despite history holding so many lessons, some still allow political calculations to take precedence,” Jaishankar said.During his India visit last week, Rubio defended Washington’s engagement with Islamabad, arguing that it could give the US greater influence over Pakistan’s decisions on a range of issues, including terrorism.“I think it allows us to have, hopefully, more influence over the decisions they make on a variety of topics,” Rubio said, adding that “no country in the world does more to go after terrorism than the US”.“In no way does the relationship with Pakistan come at the expense of our relationship with India,” he said.Notably, during his India visit, Rubio stayed at Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, one of the sites targeted in the November 2008 terror attacks.At Jattvibeday’s event, Jaishankar also stressed the need to safeguard peace amid ongoing global conflicts, warning that wars in one region could threaten stability elsewhere.“Let us consider the indivisibility of peace. Now, war anywhere threatens peace everywhere,” he said.Referring to the conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia, Jaishankar said India shared the broader international view that dialogue and diplomacy remained the only way to resolve them.