Copenhagen [Denmark], May 31 : Congress MP Amar Singh, part of the all-party delegation, addressed the Indian diaspora in Copenhagen, raising concerns over Pakistan's involvement in cross-border terrorism and drug trafficking. He urged the Indian community to remain united in confronting such external threats.
At the same event, India's Ambassador to Denmark, Manish Prabhat, responded to anti-India slogans raised by a small group outside the venue hosting the Indian parliamentary delegation.
Hitting out at the protestors outside the venue, Ambassador Prabhat said, "This community is unlike the community, a representation of which you saw outside on the street. And we know that how much amount they have been paid to put their duty here."
He further praised the Indian diaspora in Denmark, highlighting their positive contributions and cultural integration.
Prabhat said, "I would like to inform you that the Indian diaspora in Denmark is a thriving community. It has a strength of about 21,000 people now and the Danish society admires them. Because they are known for their hard work, their sincerity, their talent, their skills, their contribution to the Danish economy, their willingness to integrate, their respect for Danish culture and the fact that the Indian community is regarded as a vibrant community bringing the diverse cultures of India in all its colors and is known for promoting peace."
Also speaking at the gathering, Congress MP Dr Amar Singh voiced serious concerns over cross-border drug and weapon smuggling in across the Punjab border.
"In Punjab, especially after 1971, what happened was that opium was used to be sent from Pakistan. Punjab is the centre in North India for transporting drugs to Delhi and other parts of India. And I'm an eyewitness to those things. As a child, as a school student, then college student, and now for the last eight to ten years, again, as an eyewitness, that drugs and weapons are coming through drones," he said.
Singh further noted that several drones carrying narcotics and arms have been recovered from Punjab's border villages in recent years.
Referring to past terror attacks in India, he said, "When we know the reality that our neighbouring country, Pakistan, is doing this thing, how can we be quiet on this issue? And this issue has to be shared, and we all want to share with the international community that the issue of terrorism is now very serious. And in India, you will all remember Mumbai and then Pulwama, Uri, Pathankot and now Pahalgam. We all have to be united, oppose it. Terrorism is bad. Drugs are bad, weapons are bad, it damages the society."
Earlier, the Group 2 all-party delegation led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Ravi Shankar Prasad attended the luncheon interaction with former Danish parliamentarians in Copenhagen. The event, hosted by the Indian Ambassador, provided a platform for discussion and exchange of ideas.
The delegation's engagement with former MPs, including Freddy Svane, former ambassador of Denmark to India, Manu Sareen, former MP and author Helle Degn, vice president of the Mandela Center, and Niels Ahlmann-Ohlsen, former MP and currently CEO of Strategic Alliance International ApS, aimed to foster stronger ties between India and Denmark.
Apart from Ravi Shankar Prasad, other members of the Indian delegation included BJP MP Daggubati Purandeswari, Shiv Sena-UBT MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, Congress MPs Ghulam Ali Khatana and Amar Singh, and Ambassador Pankaj Saran.
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