New Delhi: Two of the seven multi-party delegations, which will inform interlocutors around the world about India’s approach to combating Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and explain the rationale behind Operation Sindoor, departed for Southeast Asia and Africa on Wednesday.
The seven delegations will fan out to different regions of the world over the next few days and interact with ministers, political leaders, lawmakers, think tanks and the media to raise the heat on Pakistan for its support for cross-border terrorism directed against India. They will also underline the need to hold Pakistan and its military establishment accountable for supporting terror groups.
The first delegation led by Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha left on Wednesday morning for a five-nation visit. The team includes Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs Aparajita Sarangi, Brij Lal, Hemang Joshi and Pradhan Baruah, Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP John Brittas, Congress leader and former foreign minister Salman Khurshid, and former ambassador Mohan Kumar.
“Zero tolerance against terrorism!” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a social media post about the departure of the first delegation as “part of India’s diplomatic outreach on #OperationSindoor”. He added, “The delegation will be visiting Indonesia, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, Japan & Singapore to affirm India’s resolve on combating terrorism in all its forms.”
The second delegation led by Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde left later in the day and will travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Liberia, Congo and Sierra Leone. This group includes BJP MPs Bansuri Swaraj, Atul Garg and Manan Kumar Mishra, Indian Union Muslim League MP Mohammed Basheer, Biju Janata Dal MP Sasmit Patra, BJP leader SS Ahluwalia and former ambassador Sujan Chinoy.
Members of both these delegations were briefed ahead of their departure on Tuesday by foreign secretary Vikram Misri, who highlighted India’s “new normal” in tackling cross-border terrorism as exemplified by the military strikes under Operation Sindoor on terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan, people familiar with the matter said.
Misri also told members of the delegations that India will no longer allow terrorists to carry out their activities under the cover of Pakistan’s “nuclear blackmail” and that the Pakistani military establishment will have to pay a price for attacks through its terrorist proxies, the people added, on condition of anonymity.
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The delegations were also asked to raise the world community’s lacklustre record in holding the Pakistani military and intelligence community to account despite considerable evidence provided by India that linked it to past terror strikes such as the 2008 Mumbai attacks and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing, the people said.
The delegations were also briefed on India’s decision to keep the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance till Pakistan “credibly and irrevocably” abjures its support for cross-border terror.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar, currently on a three-nation visit to Europe, dialled his Bahraini counterpart Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani to discuss India’s campaign against terrorism ahead of the arrival of another all-party delegations in the West Asian country. “Discussed the challenge posed by terrorism and the need to combat it resolutely,” Jaishankar said in a social media post.
An all-party delegation led by BJP MP Baijayant Panda is set to travel to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Algeria from May 24.
The issue of countering terrorism was also raised by India at a virtual meeting of the council of ministers of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) on Wednesday. P Kumaran, secretary (east) in the external affairs ministry, who led the Indian delegation at the meet hosted by Sri Lanka, said that terrorism “must be unequivocally condemned” by all states.
All forms and manifestations of terrorism, “whether state-sponsored or carried out by individuals, poses a serious threat to peace, security and development of the region”, Kumaran said.
India is currently vice-chair of IORA and will soon assume the chairship for 2025-2027. The member states discussed ways to strengthen IORA and matters of regional interest. Kumaran also said India is committed to the progress of nations of the Indian Ocean, and cooperation and collaboration among member states are essential for convergence on issues of common interest.