"Worth doing...important for India to educate people": Former US NSA Bolton on all-party delegation

Washington DC [US], May 21 : In the wake of Operation Sindoor and India's decision to send all-party delegations to showcase India's continued fight against terrorism, former US National Security Advisor John Bolton voiced strong support for New Delhi's efforts.

Bolton further emphasised the importance of educating the global community about the impact of terrorism faced by India.

While speaking to ANI, Bolton said, "Well, I think it's important for India to educate people around the world on what the nature of these terrorist attacks has been because it's unacceptable for innocent civilians to be threatened and harmed by terrorist attacks. At the UN, it was always difficult to get people to focus on it because one person's terrorist is another person's liberation movement. India has borne considerable terror attacks across the country. It is particularly a good place to help explain to others what this thread is and get their support. So definitely worth doing."

The first of seven All-Party Parliamentary Delegations embarked on a five-nation tour in East and South East Asia under Operation Sindoor.

JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha's delegation includes representatives from major political parties, including the BJP, Congress, TMC, and CPI(M). The delegation departed from New Delhi for Tokyo on Wednesday and will visit five countries: Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, who is leading another group arrived at Delhi Airport. This delegation will visit UAE, Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone. This 8-member delegation also includes BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj, BJP MP Atul Garg, BJD MP Sasmit Patra, BJP's Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra, BJP leader SS Ahluwalia, IUML MP ET Mohammed Basheer and Ambassador Sujan Chinoy.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal emphasised India's commitment to "zero tolerance against terrorism," adding that this outreach would reaffirm the country's resolve to combat terrorism in all its forms.

In the context of Operation Sindoor and India's continued fight against cross-border terrorism, seven All-Party Delegations are visiting key partner countries, including members of the UN Security Council.

The All-Party Delegations will project India's national consensus and resolute approach to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. They will convey to the world the country's strong message of zero tolerance for terrorism.

Meanwhile, on India ramping up efforts for the UN listing of The Resistance Front (TRF), a LeT proxy that claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam terror attack, Bolton told ANI, "Whenever you get the UN to acknowledge anything as a terrorist organisation, it is a pretty significant development. India is justified in seeking to do it, and I think it's also part of an educational effort. It's important for India that when it takes retaliatory action for a terror strike, it's important to get all facts out in public and show the world why this is justified."

Earlier on May 7, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri highlighted Pakistan's role in removing references to the terrorist group The Resistance Front (TRF), which claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam terrorist attack, from the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) press statement issued on April 25. He recalled how India had earlier shared inputs regarding the TRF with the UN, bringing out its role as a cover for terrorists based in Pakistan.

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