New Delhi [India], May 20 (ANI): Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Tuesday briefed Members of Parliament and delegation members at a meeting held in the Parliament building, ahead of their visits to various countries to highlight India’s fight against terrorism in the wake of Operation Sindoor.
Seven all-party delegations are visiting key partner countries, including members of the UN Security Council, in the context of Operation Sindoor and India’s continued fight against cross-border terrorism.
The delegations are led by Congress member Shashi Tharoor, BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad and Baijayant Panda, JD-U’s Sanjay Kumar Jha, DMK’s Kanimozhi Karunanidhi and (NCP-SP) leader Supriya Sule.
Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde that members from three groups – led by him, Kanimozi and Sanjay Kumar Jha were present at Tuesday’s briefing.
Shinde said their group will leave for the UAE and West Africa tomorrow.
“Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, all seven delegations are leaving for different countries to put forward our country’s stand. MEA did a country-wise briefing for all the groups today and gave anecdotes of previous terrorist attacks on India. This briefing will prove to be useful for our visits… We will sensitise other countries on what India has been facing at the hands of Pakistan and terror over the years… MEA will provide dossiers to every group,” Shinde told media persons later.
“(It was briefed that) there was no interference by anyone (in understanding between India and Pakistan), there was no mediation. But when such things happen in the worlds different people try to send a message. But whatever has happened, has happened only between the two nations. When the matter escalated, it was between our two nations. When it ended, it ended between the two nations. It was initiated by the Pakistan DGMO, they said that we should end this. We said that it should be done if they are ready,” Congress leader Salman Khurshid said.
India carried out Operation Sindoor and carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoJK in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Indian Armed Forces effectively responded to subsequent Pakistan aggression and pounded its airbases.
BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi said apart from members of UNSC, all-party delegations are also visiting countries which will become non-permanent members of the Council in the coming months.
“When the meeting is held at the UNSC, Pakistan, which will be a member of the UNSC for the next 17 months, will try to present its position. It will make anti-India claims…So, it is essential now and our Governmet rightly thought that MPs of different parties should visit these different countries together and present our narrative to the bureaucracy and political representatives there…and we condemn Pakistan’s approach of promoting terrorism…This is our responsibility. We want to convey that India stands united against terrorism,” she said.
“Under the leadership of PM Modi, the Centre works for the security of 140 crore people of the country…There is zero tolerance to terrorism…” she added.
Referring to Operation Sindoor and Indian Armed Forces effectively repelling subsequent Pakistan aggression, she said India never attacked civilians.
“We need to understand this. India destroyed nine terror camps and killed more than 100 terrorists. So, it is baseless to say that we attacked Pakistani civilians. With great precision, we did our work…We will present this. As far as the Indus Water Treaty is concerned, the Government of India has made repeated requests to Pakistan that the Treaty needs amendments, so we should talk. But, there was no cooperation from Pakistan. So, as far as the Indus Water Treaty is concerned, India has said that blood and water cannot flow together. They killed 26 tourists, so we suspend this Treaty…It has been kept in abeyance,” she said.
Sanjay Kumar Jha said Pakistan-sponsored training camps are responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack.
“India took steps after that, and nine terrorist training centres were hi – – this has to be told. Pakistan State and Pakistan Army are both involved in this. This was done like a proxy war against India…PM has said that it is enough now, we know your designs, and we will hit you deep inside. India did this in their self-defence,” he said.
Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai said there is need to expose Pakistan for its support to cross-border terrorism.
“What stand we have, what events took place from Pahalgam to ceasefire and how Pakistan was involved, what we expect…all of these were discussed. We have to expose Pakistan and make them realise that India was never against Pakistan, their military or their people. We attacked terrorist camps,” he said.
“We are going out as representatives of the nation. The nation is supreme. There is no party. If the nation remains, there would be party and politics only then,” he added.
BJP leader SS Ahluwalia said they will meet legislators, members of business community, intellectual community in the countries and tgell them about India’s zero-tolerance to terrorism.
“Different things are being spread, especially by the media in Pakistan – what happened on 7th May, 22nd April, and between 7th-11th May. They are spreading lies across the world…It is the responsibility of a nation and representatives of all parties to go to other nations and meet legislators, the business community, and the intellectual community there and tell them what happened there. India has always argued that this fight is not against common citizens. Terrorists came, their terrorist activities, and our fight is against them,” he said.
AAP MP Ashok Kumar Mittal, who is a member of Group Six that will go to Russia, Spain, Greece, Slovenia and Latvia, said there was a detailed briefing.
“The basic concept of the briefing was to know what we have to do or not do there, who we have to meet, what precautions we have to take and how we have to present India’s side impactfully. The Foreign Secretary briefed us in detail. He answered our questions. So that when we go out, we can present India’s position impactfully…Dossier details are being prepared; it will be provided to us…We are united when we are outside India. When it comes to the security of the country, we are united. When it comes to the honour of the country, we are united. There was never any doubt about it,” he added.
On Monday, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs had a comprehensive meeting and Misri briefed members on current foreign policy developments regarding India and Pakistan in the wake of Operation Sindoor on May 7 and the subsequent understanding reached between the two countries to stop military action and firing.
The meeting lasted nearly three hours. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who heads the Standing Committee on External Affairs, said the members expressed a desire to have a resolution expressing solidarity with the Foreign Secretary in the face of the unwarranted attacks or comments. Tharoor said the Foreign Secretary requested that there should be no resolution.
In the context of Operation Sindoor and India’s continued fight against cross-border terrorism, seven all-party delegations are set to visit key partner countries, including members of the UN Security Council.
The all-party delegations will project India’s national consensus and resolute approach to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. They will convey to the world the country’s strong message of zero tolerance for terrorism.
Each delegation will include members of Parliament from different parties, prominent political personalities, and distinguished diplomats.
India had carried out Operation Sindoor early on May 7 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack and launched precise strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoJK. India responded effectively to Pakistan’s subsequent aggression and pounded its airports.
The countries have reached an understanding for stopping military action following a call made by Pakistan’s DGMO to his Indian counterpart.
The All-Party Delegations will project India’s national consensus and resolute approach to combating terrorism in all forms and manifestations. They would carry forth to the world the country’s strong message of zero-tolerance against terrorism.
Members of Parliament from different parties, prominent political personalities, and distinguished diplomats are part of each delegations. (ANI)
