"India will not make any distinction between terrorists and country that promotes them": JD (U) MP Sanjay Jha

Jakarta [Indonesia], May 29 : Stressing New Delhi's policy of not differentiating between terrorists and its sponsor state, JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha, who is leading one of the all-party delegations, Wednesday sought support from the think tank community and academia in Indonesia to influence and enable policymakers to draft strategies for the future against terrorism.

The all-party parliamentary delegation, led by Jha, participated in the 'Interaction with Think Tanks and Academia' in Indonesia's Jakarta.

Addressing the Think Tanks and Academia of Indonesia, JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha said that the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives, was carried out with nefarious designs to disrupt normalcy and provoke disharmony in India.

Jha further mentioned that Indonesia's message of unequivocal condemnation for acts of terrorism and its policy of zero tolerance against it have been clear.

"In all our interactions, Indonesia's message of unequivocal condemnation for acts of terrorism and its policy of zero tolerance against terrorism have been clear. Today, we are meeting with prominent think tanks and members of academia in Indonesia, which serve as an invaluable catalyst in formulating innovative counter-terrorism policy. The purpose of this interaction is to give India's point of view and our strategy to tackle the menace of terrorism, henceforth emanating from Pakistan. The terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir was carried out with nefarious designs to disrupt normalcy and provoke disharmony in India," he said.

"India, along with other countries like Indonesia, has a zero tolerance for terrorism. From hereafter, India will not make any distinction between terrorists and the country that promotes them. We will not accept any nuclear blackmail. Those who shelter terrorists can not hide behind the nuclear umbrella. Today, we also seek support from the Think Tank community and academia in Indonesia to influence and enable policymakers to draft strategies for the future," he added.

The delegation, led by JD-U MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, includes Aparajita Sarangi (BJP), TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, Brij Lala (BJP), John Brittas (CPI-M), Pradan Baruah (BJP), Hemang Joshi (BJP), Salman Khurshid and Mohan Kumar.

Congress leader and Former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, who is a member of the Jha-led delegation, highlighted the similarities between the two countries.

"We are a multi-party delegation. Seven such delegations have gone across the globe, and as we speak here, they are presently interacting with their counterparts in the rest of the world. The idea is twofold: one, that we show to the world, to friends like you, that India has a united voice on very critical matters, both for the world and for India," the Congress leader said.

"There are many overlaps and similarities between our two countries. you have the largest population of Muslims across the globe; we have the second-largest population. Our enemies want to destroy this very fabric of our society. This is the purpose for which we have come to meet with friends and to speak to those friends who are influential in the world, to see how together we can work on strategies to put an end to terrorism for all times to come," he added.

Khurshid said that as a country that has suffered from terrorism in the past, Indonesia understands India's concern.

"We are not unclear that you have suffered this in the past; therefore, you understand both our pain and our concern, as indeed you understand what needs to be done in the world. Narratives that sometimes come from the part of the world that may or may not have suffered a similar experience are not necessarily authentic."

Earlier, the delegation held a meeting with the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Kao Kim Hourn, on Wednesday at the ASEAN Headquarters, where Hourn highlighted ASEAN's Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with India.

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