We were up against Pak propaganda but armed with satellite images, proof, says Vadodara MP who was part of all-party delegation

Indian Express

2 days ago

Vadodara BJP MP Hemang Joshi, who was part of an all-party delegation that travelled to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore to convey India's position on the April 22 Pahalgam attack and the subsequent Operation Sindoor, on Wednesday said that the delegation was faced with questions related to nuclear power, referendum in Kashmir, besides 'indirect attempts' by Pakistan to derail India's diplomatic mission.
Which countries did your delegation travel to and whom did you meet?
We first travelled to Japan and, thereafter, to South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.
In South Korea, we were in a bit of a tricky situation as the country was in election mode. We went with a briefing of the Indian Embassy that had indicated imminent change of power. We met the then incumbent government as well as the party that is the incoming government, as per the results declared just a day ago.
Since South Korea is a strategic business country, we met business leaders such as Hyundai.
Which of these countries were the most receptive to India's message on Operation Sindoor?
Japan and South Korea. In South Korea, the shared sentiment is that due to their conflict with North Korea, they also understand the anguish of India.We also had extremely enriching interactions in Singapore and Indonesia.
Incidentally, the mastermind of Pahalgam attacks, Saifullah Kasuri of The Resistance Front, which has claimed responsibility, was seen at a victory rally in Pakistan during our visit to one of the countries. He was flanked by a Pakistan Cabinet Minister as well as the speaker of Punjab province. In the rally, he even said that the Pahalgam attack has made the TRF famous… It was another example to drive our point that Pakistan's proxy war against India is terror as it cannot overtake us on development and progress. Even the GDP of Tamil Nadu is more than that of Pakistan.
Which was the trickiest part of the tour?
In Malaysia, we learnt that Pakistan tried to derail our appointments through indirect influence. We learnt through insiders that Pakistan actively tried to sabotage our meetings with the think tanks in Malaysia and even handed out questionnaires to influencers to pick holes… We learnt that they were playing the card of being a fellow Islamic country.
The think tanks in Malaysia…wanted to know who won, whose jets were brought down, and how many air base camps were destroyed in India. The questions were based on narratives spun by Pakistan but because we were armed with proofs, we ruled out the confusion.
Later, the Pakistan High Commission in Malaysia also issued a public statement reacting to our visit and claiming that they were victims of terror. Meanwhile, Malaysia officially changed its stand and extended cooperation to India.
In Malaysia, we have also given proof of military atrocity in PoK and Balochistan… We said if you need a referendum, it should be in PoK and Balochistan… In Kashmir, since the abrogation of Article 370, tourism has flourished and a democratic system is in place, which even saw a 62% voter turnout in the elections.
In South Korea, people condemned terrorism in all forms but the country had been much under the influence of Western narrative thus far, which was a narrative also driven by (defence) commercial interests.
How did the delegation arm itself to counter questions from the countries?
We were up against the Western narrative and also the constant propaganda of Pakistan. But, we were armed with satellite images as well as previous antecedents where India, despite submitting dossiers and proofs, did not receive any positive response from Pakistan in the form of action against terror. Even when proof was given when Ajmal Kasab was caught alive (after Mumbai 2008 attacks), Pakistan did nothing.
There was a lot of propaganda on how much destruction the Pakistani forces had caused to India during the attacks, but we refuted the claims with evidence.
Several unilateral narratives of the West were forced to change after we put forth the proofs. That also led Pakistan to dispatch a copy-cat delegation.
We also reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pledge to explain why India has decided to consider all acts of terror as acts of war by Pakistan because it has been using these terror attacks as proxy war.
We emphasised that Pakistan should be kept on the grey list of the FATF (Financial Action Task Force).
What were the questions of concern raised by the countries?
We did not have any specific questions about the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack but we did detail the action taken under Operation Sindoor.
It is pertinent to note that the Pahalgam terror attack was not just an attack in isolation but it was designed with an evil plan to sow hatred across India and fan wider internal conflict between communities, which is why there was an explicit use of religion in the attack.
The concerns about nuclear power possessed by both countries was also addressed… We categorically reiterated that India will not bow down to nuclear blackmail.
What was the cultural interaction like during the visit to the countries?
We visited the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) centres in Korea, Malaysia and Japan. We also interacted with the Indian diaspora and I, particularly, interacted with the Gujarati population that will continue to take forward our message.
We had some touching interactions in Indonesia, where we met leaders who are Muslims but their names have Hindu roots, such as Agrasen, due to the influence of Indic civilisation. Members of the Nahdlatul-Ulama, which is the prominent Islamic organisation with lot of influence in ruling party, the way Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has in India, told us that they are not ashamed of accepting Indic civilisation roots and for them, Hinduism is a culture more than a religion. They even told us they do not subscribe to terror as part of Islam and extended support to India.
What was the experience like sharing the limelight with leaders of other parties?
We went as a team from India. We did not feel even one bit that we belong to different parties… We went with one message and we all believed in it.
Rahul Gandhi has taken a jibe that a phone call from US President Donald Trump made PM Modi surrender…
With his demeaning comments, Rahul Gandhi is not only lowering the morale of the Indian Army but also of all Indians. He is attempting to make a place in the hearts of Pakistani militants and the government by making such ridiculous statements… If he indeed intends to contest in the next polls, he must watch his words.