Kuwait City [Kuwait], May 27 : BJP MP Baijayant Panda, leading an all-party delegation to Kuwait, asserted that India will no longer remain silent in the face of terrorism from Pakistan and will respond strongly.
MP Panda also demanded that Pakistan must end terrorism on its soil and stop spreading misinformation. He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts in strengthening India's ties with Gulf countries and added that the Indian community in Kuwait is well-respected.
While speaking to ANI, MP Panda said, "The meetings in Kuwait have been outstanding. We met the Deputy PM and many other stakeholders. This is a country with which India has had a relationship for centuries. In recent years, PM Modi's efforts at building relationships around the world has also led to tremendous results here in the Middle-East and Gulf countries. When PM Modi visited here, Kuwait gave him its highest civilian honour."
BJP MP Panda emphasized that India will not tolerate terrorism and vows to retaliate. Speaking about Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, Panda said that India has tried various approaches, including treaties and diplomacy, but will no longer succumb to nuclear blackmail.
"There is another factor also, Kuwait has also suffered from terrorism and has taken a stand against terrorism in various international forums and has given strong statements after our recent situation where terrorists attacked and killed people in Pahalgam. So, in this context, the message we are carrying is that same thing that PM has pointed out, that India has suffered from state-sponsored terrorism from Pakistan for so many decades. We have tried everything. We have tried treaties, cricket diplomacy, our leaders have gone there and invited them. All of that has been tried. Now we have changed our approach, and it is now very clear that we will not succumb to nuclear blackmail and we will retaliate...The message is very clear that we don't want hostility but we will not sit tight when they harm India and Indians. So, we will retaliate, we will not succumb to their nuclear blackmail," Panda said.
Panda stated that India is taking economic steps to pressure Pakistan into ending terrorism on its soil. These measures include restrictions on trade, shipping, water, and visas.
He further added, "We are also taking a lot of economic steps, having to do with trade, shipping, water and visas. The whole idea is to nudge Pakistan into getting rid of terrorism because they have these large number of terrorists and terror organisations operating freely on their soil. These are organisations which have been sanctioned and banned by the UN and others. This has to end. This message is going across very well. We are being received very well and they understand the situation and the outcome is turning out to be very positive."
MP Panda also confirmed that the issue of keeping Pakistan on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list was discussed during their meetings.
He said the delegation conveyed a strong message that global steps are needed to pressure Pakistan to abandon terrorism. "We have covered a variety of issues, including this one. Again and again, the message we have communicated, which is getting resonance, is that steps should be taken to nudge and convince Pakistan to give up terrorism, and it will involve a wide variety of steps. FATF is one of the issues that was discussed," Panda said.
He said the Indian diaspora has become a strong asset in diplomacy, especially under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.
Panda highlighted the significant contribution of the Indian diaspora in Kuwait, noting that they are highly valued and respected due to their success and contributions and praised Prime Minister Modi's efforts in leveraging the Indian diaspora.
"The Indian community here is very valued because it is the largest community...They are all very successful and Kuwaiti government and the Kuwaitis respect them. They treat them as the best sort of immigrants who have come here. So, their voice carries clout and the way India, especially PM Modi, has leveraged the Indian diaspora is turning out to be a huge strength for us...", he said.
He also criticised Pakistan for spreading misinformation about India, adding that India's actions against terrorist sites are backed by evidence, including satellite imagery.
"Pakistan has been spreading a lot of misinformation. Their misinformation is getting caught out...Anything India has said, for example attacking their terrorist sites or their airbases, is backed up with satellite imagery and so people are aware...The Pakistan Defence Minister has himself gone on international TV and said that for a decade, they have been sponsoring terrorists. After that, what else is there left to expose," Panda added.
The delegation also interacted in Kuwaiti Diwaniya format with civil society, organised jointly with think-tank Reconnaissance Research at the Diwaniya of Reconnaissance Research in Kuwait City.
The all-party delegation, led by Baijayant Jay Panda, includes BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, BJP MP Phangnon Konyak, BJP MP Rekha Sharma, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP Asaduddin Owaisi, BJP MP Satnam Singh Sandhu, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and former Indian diplomat Harsh Shringla.
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