Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hosted members of seven all-party delegations at his residence in New Delhi. The delegations were part of India’s global diplomatic outreach under Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The members of Parliament, former MPs and senior diplomats briefed the prime minister about their meetings with leaders and officials in more than 30 countries. They highlighted India’s position against terrorism and commitment to global peace.
The outreach was initiated following the April 22 attack in Pahalgam in which 26 tourists were killed. In response, the Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. More than 100 terrorists linked to groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen were killed in the operation.
Over 50 delegates were sent abroad in seven groups. The delegations included MPs from various political parties including Opposition leaders like Supriya Sule of NCP-SCP, Shashi Tharoor of the Congress and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi.
Group 1 was led by BJP’s Baijayant Panda and visited Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Algeria. Group 2, led by BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad, travelled to the UK, France, Germany, the EU, Italy and Denmark. JD(U)’s Sanjay Kumar Jha led Group 3 to Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan and Singapore.
Shrikant Eknath Shinde of Shiv Sena led Group 4 to the UAE, Liberia, Congo and Sierra Leone. Group 5, under Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, visited the US, Panama, Guyana, Brazil and Colombia. DMK’s Kanimozhi Karunanidhi led Group 6 to Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Latvia and Russia. Supriya Sule led Group 7 to Egypt, Qatar, Ethiopia and South Africa.
The delegations emphasised India’s policy of zero tolerance toward terrorism. They also raised concerns about Pakistan’s continued support for terror groups and urged several nations to push for Pakistan’s inclusion in the Financial Action Task Force’s grey list.