All-party delegation led by Baijayant Panda interacts with Gulf Research Center Chairman and Founder Abdulaziz Al Sager
Riyadh [Saudi Arabia], May 29 (ANI): The all-party delegation led by BJP MP Baijayant Panda, which is visiting several countries as part of the government of India's big diplomatic outreach in the wake of Operation Sindoor, interacted with Abdulaziz Al Sager, the Chairman and Founder of the Gulf Research Center, on Thursday.
According to its official website, the Gulf Research Center was founded in July 2000 with a vision to conduct scholarly, high-quality research on all aspects of the wider Gulf region, including the six member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Iran, Iraq, and Yemen.
During the delegation's engagements on Thursday, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday informed the Saudi officials that Pakistan is propagating terrorism and targeting Indian citizens, and urged them to bring Pakistan back to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey List to curb terror financing.
'27 lakh members of the Indian diaspora reside and work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia...Whoever the delegation met, we told them how Pakistan is propagating terrorism and how Indian citizens are targeted. We told them that Pakistan should be brought back to the FATF Grey List. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a member of the FATF. They helped us in 2018,' Owaisi told ANI.
He is part of a multi-party delegation led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Baijayant Panda under Operation Sindoor outreach to convey India's unified stance against terrorism and seek international support to hold Pakistan accountable.
During his visit, Owaisi interacted with Saudi officials and highlighted Pakistan's false propaganda about India.
He emphasised that India is home to over 14.5 crore proud Muslims, showcasing the country's rich Islamic heritage and esteemed scholars, thereby refuting Pakistan's claims of representing all Muslims.
Owaisi said that the multi-party delegation met with Abdullah ibn Muhammad, head of Saudi Arabia's Shura Council, and Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Arabia's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
Regarding concerns raised over the issue of talks between India and Pakistan, he added that talks were held after the Mumbai terror attack and the Pathankot attack. Still, they yielded no results and only losses.
In a strong demonstration of India's united political front against terrorism, an all-party parliamentary delegation led by BJP MP Baijayant Panda arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday to strengthen diplomatic ties and explore avenues of cooperation between India and Saudi Arabia.
Maj Gen Abdulrahman Alharbi, Chair of the India-Saudi Arabia Council Friendship Committee of the Shura Council, warmly welcomed the delegation.
Owaisi is a member of the delegation, led by BJP MP Baijayant Panda, also includes BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, BJP MP Phangnon Konyak; BJP MP Rekha Sharma; AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi; Satnam Singh Sandhu MP; Ghulam Nabi Azad; and Ambassador Harsh Shringla.
The delegation aims to brief international partners on India's response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and its broader fight against cross-border terrorism while engaging with leaders in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Algeria.
The all-party delegation, consisting of seven groups led by one MP each, has been initiated to counter global misinformation and highlight India's zero-tolerance policy on terrorism. (ANI)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
28 minutes ago
- Time of India
‘Why do they hate us?': MIT grad slams anti-Israel speech by Indian-origin Megha Vemuri
Megha Vemuri, an Indian-American undergraduate student at , made remarks about Israel that triggered backlash from several Israelis, including PhD student Guy Zyskind, who called her comments 'hate-filled rhetoric.' Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In a post on shared on X with a picture of him with his family , Zyskind expressed heartbreak and outrage, sharing that his 5-year-old twins, 2-year-old child, and Holocaust-survivor-descendant parents had traveled halfway around the world to witness his achievement, only to be met with hostility during what should have been a unifying event. 'Instead, MIT's student commencement speaker decided it was appropriate to use the moment for hate-filled rhetoric against Israelis and Jews. And it wasn't just one person; too many in the crowd erupted with cheers and anger,' he said in the post 'My kids might not have understood every word, but they felt the fear and hostility, and kept asking questions from that point on,' he added. Tagging MIT in his post, he asked, 'How could @MIT let this happen and ruin a special day for hundreds of Jewish graduates and thousands of their family members?' Zyskind concluded his message by invoking a recent tragedy: the murder of two Israeli embassy staffers who were a couple in Washington, just a week earlier. 'This is even more heartbreaking considering that just last week, a beautiful Jewish American couple was murdered in DC. Shame on MIT for allowing hate and division to overshadow a day meant for celebration and unity.' The post sparked widespread debate online. While many expressed solidarity with Zyskind, others defended the Vemuri's right to address political issues. As protests erupted over the ban of Vemuri from the campus, MIT chancellor Melissa Nobles said, 'Excuse me, I respect that you have a message to send but this is not the time or place.' She added, 'Today is about our graduates and their families. Please respect them and allow me to continue.'
New Indian Express
30 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Sindoor has become symbol of valour, says PM Modi; warns bullets will be answered with cannon balls
BHOPAL: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said 'sindoor' has become a symbol of valour following India's response to the Pahalgam terror attack, and warned Pakistan that bullets will be answered with cannon balls. He also described Operation Sindoor as the biggest and most successful anti-terror operation in the country's history. "Sindoor has now become a symbol of valour in the country. If you fire bullets, then rest assured that they will be answered with cannon balls," Modi said at the Lokmata Devi Ahilyabai Mahila Sashaktikaran Maha Sammelan here on the occasion of the legendary queen's 300th birth anniversary. "India is a country of culture and traditions, and sindoor is a symbol of women power in our tradition. Hanuman ji, who is immersed in Ram Bhakti, also sports sindoor. We offer sindoor in Shakti Puja. This sindoor has become a symbol of bravery," he said. Earlier this month, Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base Muridke. The military strikes were carried out under Operation Sindoor two weeks after the massacre of 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. Sindoor or the vermillion mark symbolises the marital status of Hindu women, and its use as the operation's name resonated powerfully in light of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. In the brutal attack, terrorists targeted and killed men - including newlyweds - after verifying their religious identity.
The Hindu
32 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Prime Minister Narendra Modi declares Operation Sindoor as biggest and most successful anti-terror operations in India's history
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (May 31, 2025) said 'sindoor' has become a symbol of valour following India's response to the Pahalgam terror attack, and warned Pakistan that bullets will be answered with cannon balls. He also described Operation Sindoor as the biggest and most successful anti-terror operation in the country's history. "Sindoor has now become a symbol of valour in the you fire bullets, then rest assured that they will be answered with cannon balls," Mr. Modi said at the Lokmata Devi Ahilyabai Mahila Sashaktikaran Maha Sammelan here on the occasion of the legendary queen's 300th birth anniversary. "India is a country of culture and traditions, and sindoor is a symbol of women power in our tradition. Hanuman ji, who is immersed in Ram Bhakti, also sports sindoor. We offer sindoor in Shakti Puja. This sindoor has become a symbol of bravery," he said. Earlier this month, Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base Muridke. The military strikes were carried out under Operation Sindoor two weeks after the massacre of 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. Sindoor or the vermillion mark symbolises the marital status of Hindu women, and its use as the operation's name resonated powerfully in light of the April 22 Pahalgam massacre. In the brutal attack, terrorists targeted and killed men - including newlyweds - after verifying their religious identity. "In Pahalgam, terrorists not only shed the blood of Indians, but also attacked our culture. They tried to divide our society and the biggest thing is that the terrorists have challenged the women power of India," Modi said. "This challenge has become the death knell for the terrorists and their handlers. Operation Sindoor is the biggest and most successful operation in the history of India against terrorists. While the Pakistan army could not even imagine, our army destroyed the terrorist hideouts," he added. "This time, 75 women have become members of Parliament. Our effort is to increase this number. This is the spirit behind the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. Women reservation in Parliament and state assemblies has been achieved now, which had remained pending for a long time," he said. Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, also known as the Women's Reservation Bill, is a landmark legislation that aims to reserve one-third of the total seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. "This means that the BJP government is empowering our sisters and daughters at every level and in every field," he said. The Prime Minister also said the world is witnessing the capability of India's daughters in national defence today. "Even for this, the government took many steps in the last decade. From school to the battlefield, the country today has unprecedented faith in the bravery of its daughters," he said. Referring to Lt Cdr Roopa A of the Indian Navy and her partner Lt Cdr Dilna K, who returned to Goa after successfully circumnavigating the globe in a sailing boat, the PM said two brave daughters of the Navy have completed a sea voyage of about 250 days. "They circumnavigated the earth by travelling thousands of kilometres in a boat that runs not on a motor but on wind. Imagine staying at sea for 250 days," he said. He also said that Ahilyabai Holkar was guardian of India's heritage and protected the country's temples and pilgrimage sites when they were being attacked. "Our government is working on the mantra of 'Nagrik Devo Bhava' (citizen is god), which was the philosophy of Ahilyabai Holkar," he added. Holkar, the revered queen of the Holkar dynasty in 18th-century Malwa, is remembered for her exceptional governance, commitment to social welfare, and contributions towards culture and spirituality. Earlier, Mr. Modi released a commemorative stamp and ₹300 coin to mark her 300th birth anniversary.
