Seoul (South Korea), May 26 There is a growing understanding in South Korea that free countries and democracies need to unite in the fight against terrorism, said Indian Ambassador to South Korea, Amit Kumar, following the visit of an Indian all-party parliamentary delegation to Seoul as part of Operation Sindoor outreach.
In an interview withon Monday, the envoy noted that South Korea had "issued a very strong condemnation of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam" on April 22, in which 26 civilians were killed. "They were very clear about the fact that terrorism cannot be justified in any form. It cannot be condoned," he added.
The delegation, comprising MPs from the BJP, JD(U), CPI-M, AITC, and Congress, met senior officials and legislators, including the Chairman of the Defence Affairs Committee, Vice Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, members of the India-Korea Parliamentary Friendship Group, and the first vice foreign minister.
The delegation led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha also interacted with the foreign minister.
"I think there was a good set of discussions. Understanding from the Korean side also that free countries need to unite against the menace of terrorism," the envoy said.
Referring to meetings held during the delegation's visit, Kumar said, "In our interactions with them, including during the visit of this parliamentary delegation, I see that there has been an understanding of our position. They have acknowledged the action, which was responsible and restrained."
"We also had a very extensive exchange of views with representatives from the think tank community here and a few other eminent dignitaries and media. We also met the Indian diaspora," he added.
Kumar said the delegation clearly articulated India's new national security posture. "The all-party delegation... was very clear in articulating a new security doctrine, which has been laid out by the Prime Minister, on how we are going to deal with terrorism in future. If there is a terrorist attack, it will invite our response," he said.
He also noted that "we are not going to make a distinction between terrorists and the states that provide support to them. We could not be subject to nuclear blackmail."
The envoy said the meetings also addressed the broader need for international cooperation to bring terror actors to justice. "The parliamentary delegation also underlined the need for action by the international community, particularly when it comes to the issue of how to hold perpetrators or organisers or financiers or sponsors of terrorism... accountable," he said.
The outreach is part of a wider diplomatic mission being conducted across East Asia. "The delegation is on a multi-national mission to strengthen the global narrative against cross-border terrorism and highlight India's zero-tolerance approach," Kumar said.
This mission is one of several launched by the Modi government as part of a coordinated diplomatic campaign following Operation Sindoor to inform global partners about Pakistan's links to terrorism and India's message of zero tolerance.
Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 as a decisive military response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which left 26 people dead. The operation targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of over 100 terrorists linked to groups including Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.
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