India builds missile shield against UNSC-member Pak with smart pick of nations

India Today

22-05-2025

India is sending out seven teams to different corners of the world for post-Op Sindoor diplomacy and convey its stance on the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan. The seven teams of politicians and former diplomats are headed to 32 countries and the European Union. There is a reason why these countries, including Sierra Leone and Panama, are on India's list, and why some nations have been skipped.advertisementThis is among India's biggest diplomatic missions in recent years that will not just advocate its anti-terror measures but highlight its bipartisanship and diversity.Among the western countries that the teams will be visiting include the US, UK, France and Germany. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar are among the Middle East nations, and Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan are among the Asian countries that the delegations will be visiting.
What is interesting is that countries like Sierra Leone, Algeria, Panama and Guyana feature in the mix of countries to be visited by the Indian teams.The reason is that the countries are part of the non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The UNSC comprises five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members with two-year terms.Incidentally, Pakistan is a non-permanent member of the UNSC with its term ending in 2026.advertisementWith the diplomatic operation to permanent and other non-permanent USSC-member countries, India is trying to ensure that Pakistan's narrative on Operation Sindoor and the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) finds no takers.Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told the foreign-bound delegates that the countries had been picked on their global influence and UNSC membership, said BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi.Sarangi is in the team being led by JDU's Sanjay Kumar Jha and will be visiting Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, and Singapore. Of these, South Korea is a non-permanent UNSC member with the term ending in 2025, while Indonesia and Malaysia are countries with big Muslim populations."When asked on what basis the nations were chosen, he [Vikram Misri] said that we are going to all countries that are members of the UNSC. We are also going to five other countries that will become members of the UNSC in the coming days," Sarangi told ANI."When a meeting will be held at the UNSC, Pakistan, which would be a member of the UNSC for the next 17 months, will definitely try to present its position. It will make anti-India claims... So, it is essential now that MPs of different parties should visit these different [UNSC] countries together and present our narrative," said Sarangi.advertisementOn other countries, the BJP MP said, "A few such countries have been selected whose voices are heard on an international level. These nations are very important."The Indian delegations also include former diplomats such as Syed Akbaruddin, former Permanent Representative of India to the UN; Taranjit Singh Sandhu, former Ambassador to the US; and Harsh Vardhan Shringla, former Foreign Secretary.CHINA, TURKEY, NEIGHBOURS AMONG NOTABLE EXCLUSIONSChina, which supported Pakistan with its weapons system and is investing in infrastructure projects, is the only country among the P5 UNSC members that the Indian teams won't be visiting.While a team led by Shashi Tharoor is headed for the US, another led by Ravi Shankar Prasad is going to the UK and France. A Kanimozhi-led team will be visiting Russia.Not just China, even Turkey, which helped Pakistan fight India with military drones and Turkish operatives, doesn't obviously feature on the list.Countries in India's immediate neighbourhood aren't on the list of the Operation Sindoor mission.Post-Sheikh Hasina Bangladesh, which has drifted towards Pakistan and amped up anti-India voices, is an obvious exclusion, as are countries like Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.advertisementThough Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka are strategically important to India, they do not carry a global heft, and that is why the task might have been left to officials and diplomats stationed there.'BROTHER IN ARMS' ISRAEL NEEDS NO CONVINCINGAnother notable miss from the list is Israel, which has helped India with arms and collaboration in weapon development.This, even as three separate teams are visiting countries in the Middle East.That decision might be strategic, and with the conscious decision not to hyphenate the Jewish nation with the Arab countries.Israel, which is also a victim of terrorism, needs no convincing of India's actions.While other countries were preaching peace, the Israeli Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, strongly backed India's Operation Sindoor."Israel supports India's right to self-defence. Terrorists should know there's no place to hide from their heinous crimes against the innocent," Azar posted on May 7 after India hit terror camps inside Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) in pre-dawn strikes.Two teams, one led by JDU's Sanjay Kumar Jha and the other by Shiv Sena's Shrikant Shinde, left for their destination countries on Wednesday.All-in-all, the countries chosen, and the delegates picked reveal smart and wise choices. After pushing Pakistan into calling for peace with its pin-pointed counterstrikes, New Delhi is deploying INS Tharoor and ICBM Asaduddin Owaisi on its diplomatic offensive against Pakistan.advertisementHERE'S THE LIST OF TEAM LEADS AND THE COUNTRIES TO BE VISITED1. Team lead: Shashi Tharoor (Congress)Countries visiting: US, Panama, Guyana, Brazil, and Colombia2. Team lead: Baijayant 'Jay' Panda (BJP)Countries visiting: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Algeria3. Team lead: Ravi Shankar Prasad (BJP)Countries visiting: UK, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, and the European Union4. Team lead: Kanimozhi (DMK)Countries visiting: Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Latvia, and Russia5. Team lead: Sanjay Kumar Jha (JDU)Countries visiting: Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, and Singapore6. Team lead: Shrikant Eknath Shinde (Shiv Sena)Countries visiting: UAE, Liberia, Congo, and Sierra Leone7. Team lead: Supriya Sule (NCP-Saradchandra Pawar)Countries visiting: Egypt, Qatar, Ethiopia, and South AfricaMust Watch