New Delhi, April 29 Egypt's Ambassador to India Kamel Zayed Galal on Tuesday termed last week's Pahalgam terrorist attack, which claimed lives of 26 innocent civilians, as an unacceptable assault on India which has infuriated Egypt and the country's government.
Speaking exclusively to IANS, the Ambassador emphasised on global cooperation to deal with terrorist organisations.
"Terrorism is an international phenomenon. It requires extensive cooperation among nations to effectively tackle such terrorist organisations, as terrorism moves from one place to another. A holistic approach is needed to address the political, security, social and economic components of these challenges,"said Galal.
When questioned about Pakistani terrorists killing people after confirming their religion in Pahalgam, the diplomat stated that the attack was not on one religion on all Indians, adding that Egypt views this terrorist act as an unacceptable assault on innocent Indian civilians.
"Well, terrorism is terrorism. At the end of the day, the people who were killed were Indian civilians, regardless of their religion. Religion is not a crucial issue at this point, because what we always advocate for is a nation-state. We view India from a national perspective, not a religious one. It is important for all Indian citizens to see this terrorist attack as an unacceptable act against Indians," he further added.
Expressing solidarity with India, the ambassador acknowledged that this is a very difficult time and Egypt will always stand behind India in tough moments like these.
"I would like to express our heartfelt condolences to the leadership, government, and the people of India for the loss of 26 Indians in the terror attack. We know how it feels; it angered Egypt and the Egyptian government. I hope terrorism will stop at a certain point," he remarked.
The Ambassador also mentioned about Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi speaking with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty dialling External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar to express condolences and solidarity with the Indian government after the Pahalgam attack.
The brutal assault on April 22, which claimed lives of 26 innocent tourists and left several others critically injured, unfolded in the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, when four heavily armed terrorists, two of them from Pakistan, emerged from the surrounding dense forests and opened fire on targeted tourists. The attack has been described as one of the most horrific in the region in recent memory.
Sisi, in his call with PM Modi, had strongly condemned the terror attack and reiterated that his country stands "shoulder to shoulder" with India in the fight against terrorism.
He conveyed his sincere condolences on the loss of precious lives in the ghastly terror attack on Indian soil as PM Modi briefed about the cross-border terror attack and thanked Sisi for his support and solidarity.
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