UK's MP Priti Patel meets Indian delegation, shares commitment to combat terrorism

India Gazette

4 days ago

London [UK], June 2 (ANI): Conservative Party's Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel on Monday expressed her pleasure after meeting with an all-party Indian parliamentary delegation, led by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, and stated that 'significant areas of discussion were covered.'
In a diplomatic outreach following Operation Sindoor, the Modi government has formed seven multi-party delegations to inform nations about Pakistan's links to terrorism and India's strong message of zero tolerance for terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
https://x.com/pritipatel/status/1929434391920738546
In a post on X, Patel wrote, 'A pleasure to meet with a cross-party delegation of senior Indian MPs @HCI_London.'
'Significant areas of discussion covered our shared determination to combatting terrorism, to UK-India defence and security links, our economic ties and the living bridge between our two countries,' she aded.
https://x.com/HCI_London/status/1929270815448522813
Earlier, the High Commission of India in London shared the picture of the meeting and wrote, The All-Party Parliamentary Delegation met with Shadow Foreign Secretary @pritipatel and her team to share India's firm resolve in combating cross-border terrorism. They also highlighted how #OperationSindoor exemplifies the new normal set by India in this ongoing effort.'
The Indian delegation, led by Ravi Shankar Prasad, includes BJP MP Daggubati Purandeswari, Samik Bhattacharya, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, Congress MPs Ghulam Ali Khatana and Amar Singh, former Union Minister MJ Akbar, and former Ambassador Pankaj Saran.
Earlier, the all-party delegation interacted with the Indian diaspora at India House in London. During the interaction, the Members of Parliament reaffirmed India's united stance and unwavering commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms.
While interacting with the Indian diaspora in London, Ravi Shankar Prasad said that Pakistan is not a 'democratic country' and added that Pakistan's armed forces have made the country for themselves and are 'unelectable and unaccountable.' Highlighting the example of Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, General Asim Munir, whom he said was 'defeated in the field' but promoted to Field Marshal, Prasad drew parallels with former military rulers like Ayub Khan.
Prasad said, 'What is the problem of Pakistan? The problem with Pakistan is that it is not a democratic country. 'Muhammad Ali Jinnah ne banaya Pakistan, wo ban gaya Generals ki dukaan, that is the situation of Pakistan. The second thing, very important, is people, leaders make the country. There, Pakistan armed forces have made a country for themselves, unelectable, not accountable, not popular sanction, but they seized power. Ayub Khan field marshal for 10 years. Mr Yahya Khan for seven and a half years, Mr Zia ul Haq for eleven years, General Musharraf for nine years.'
Further, he also mentioned how 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden was caught in Pakistan. He said that the terrorists who hijacked the plane to rescue Masood Azhar had been killed and Masood Azhar's family members were also killed by the Indian Armed Forces under Operation Sindoor.
Notably, seven all-party delegations are taking part in various outreach programmes in their countries they are assigned to.
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.
Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 as a decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack by Pak-sponsored terrorists in which 26 people were killed. Indian Armed Forces targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the death of over 100 terrorists affiliated with terror outfits like the Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.
The seven group of delegations will visit Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Algeria, the UK, France, Germany, the EU, Italy, Denmark, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea, Japan, Singapore, the UAE, Liberia, Congo, Sierra Leone, the US, Panama, Guyana, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Latvia, Russia, Egypt, Qatar, Ethiopia, and South Africa. (ANI)