Terrorism is a global cancer: Prasad in France

 

 

INDIA wants peace and amity but not at the cost of innocent Indians, and the world must speak in one voice as far as barbaric state-sponsored terrorism is concerned, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, as an all-party delegation led by him began its six-country Europe tour in Paris. The nine-member delegation will be engaging with members of the Senate and National Assembly, think tanks and a cross-section of the Indian diaspora during the opening leg of their visit in France. Meetings are also scheduled with French parliamentarians in the realm of foreign affairs for the delegation will reiterate India’s zero-tolerance stance on terrorism in the wake of the brutal Pahalgam terror attacks. “Our whole focus is very clear: India wants peace and amity, but not at the cost of the lives of our innocent Indians,” Prasad told PTI ahead of the meetings. “And if in the most barbaric manner, Pahalgam happens, there will be a cost to it, and the whole world needs to speak in one voice as far as terrorism is concerned. It’s a global menace, a global cancer,” he said. The former Union Minister noted how European nations, including France, the UK and Belgium, have also been victims of terrorism. Ambassador Saran referenced the strong bilateral relationship between India and France across all spheres, including defence and security.

 

QATAR AN ALL-PARTY parliamentary delegation on Monday apprised a junior Qatari minister of India’s stand on the Pahalgam terrorist attack, Operation Sindoor and the country’s national consensus for zero-tolerance against terrorism. The all-party delegation led by NCP-SP leader Supriya Sule arrived in Qatar late Saturday as part of the Government’s outreach to the international community on the fight against terror and the significance of Operation Sindoor. “Today morning the multi-party delegation met HE Dr. Mohamed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi, MoS for Foreign Affairs and conveyed India’s perspectives on the Pahalgam terrorist attack, Operation Sindoor and India’s national consensus for zero-tolerance against terrorism,” the Indian Embassy in Qatar posted on X. “MoS Dr Al Khulaifi conveyed Qatar’s solidarity with India and policy of zero tolerance against terrorism for regional stability and prosperity,” it said in another post. Apart from Sule, the working president of the NCP-SP, the delegation comprises BJP leaders Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Anurag Thakur and V Muraleedharan, Congress leaders Manish Tewari and Anand Sharma, TDP leader Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, AAP leader Vikramjeet Singh Sawhney, and former diplomat Syed Akbaruddin.

 

KUWAIT AN ALL-PARTY Indian parliamentary delegation led by BJP MP Baijayant Jay Panda arrived in Kuwait on Monday to highlight India’s zero-tolerance stance against terrorism. The delegation arrived here from Bahrain. Indian Ambassador Adarsh Swaika received the delegation at the airport. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Asaduddin Owaisi, former Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, ex-National chairperson of the National Commission for Women and Rajya Sabha MP Rekha Sharma, and Harsh Vardhan Shringla, former Foreign Secretary, former Ambassador to the United States, Bangladesh & Thailand, are some other members of delegation. Azad, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Democratic Progressive Azad Party Chairman, said that probably the number of terrorists that are living in Pakistan is more than the number of terrorists residing all over the world. Azad added that he is happy to see people of all religions living peacefully there. He further said that although Indian leaders may belong to different political parties but they are united as Indians here.

 

South Korea AN ALL-PARTY parliamentary delegation on Monday briefed South Korean leaders on India’s renewed doctrine of responding firmly to any act of terrorism as it sought Seoul’s support in bringing to justice the organisers, perpetrators, financiers and supporters of terrorism. The delegation, led by JD(U) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, met Sung Il-jong, Chairperson of the National Defence Committee of the National Assembly of South Korea, and apprised him that the terrorist attack in Pahalgam was not an accident, rather “intentional acts to disrupt communal harmony” in India. They conveyed India’s national resolve on zero-tolerance policy in combatting terrorism. The delegation “sought RoK’s support in holding organisers, perpetrators, financiers and supporters of terrorism to account and bringing them to justice,” the Embassy of India in South Korea said in a post on X. Sung acknowledged the purpose of the nine-member delegation’s visit as a mission of peace and acknowledged India’s restrained response. “He appreciated the detailed explanation provided by the delegation and further emphasised that any act of terrorism is a crime against humanity and can not be condoned,” it added.

 

CONGO A MULTI-PARTY delegation led by Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde on Monday held a “fruitful meeting” with Congo Foreign Affairs Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner and conveyed India’s zero-tolerance against terrorism. The delegation also thanked Congo for its “support and solidarity in the fight against terrorism”. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs Bansuri Swaraj, Atul Garg, Manan Kumar Mishra, Indian Union Muslim League’s ET Mohammed Basheer, Biju Janata Dal’s Sasmit Patra, BJP leader SS Ahluwalia, and former Ambassador Sujan Chinoy are also part of the Shinde-led delegation. The delegation also visited the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and held a meeting with Vital Kamerhe Lwa Kanyiginyi Nkingi, President of the National Assembly of the DRC.

 

SLOVENIA AN ALL-PARTY delegation led by DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Monday called on senior Slovenian officials and emphasised India’s “new normal” of zero tolerance against cross-border terrorism. The delegation, which reached Slovenia on Sunday, also appreciated the central European country’s “unequivocal condemnation” of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, and its support to India in its fight against terror. The delegation met Vojko Volk, State Secretary and National Coordinator for National and International Security in the Prime Minister’s Office. In a meeting with Predrag Bakovic, Chairperson of the Foreign Policy Committee of the National Assembly, and Miroslav Gregoric of the India-Slovenia Parliamentary Friendship Group, the delegation conveyed India’s “strong commitment on zero tolerance against terrorism and national consensus on this issue”.