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India.com
a day ago
- Politics
- India.com
‘Ugly Face Of Terror': Why Ex-Danish Envoy Dropped Bombshell, Backed Operation Sindoor
New Delhi: Denmark's former Ambassador to India, Freddy Svane, has endorsed India's recent military operation 'Operation Sindoor' and called for global action against Pakistan's alleged support for terrorism. Svane, who served as Denmark's envoy to India, praised India's decisive military response and emphasised its importance in sending a strong message to the international community. He highlighted that Pakistan's shifting narratives, particularly regarding Sajid Mir, an accused of 26/11 Mumbai attacks, have exposed the country's inconsistencies in combating terrorism. In an exclusive interview with IANS, Svane urged the global community to take a stand against Pakistan's actions. 'Terrorism does not emerge spontaneously. It is funded, structured and executed with intent. Pakistan's role in this is evident,' he said. Svane's comments align with concerns raised by Indian officials about Pakistan's alleged misuse of international financial assistance, including IMF loans, to support military-intelligence operations and terrorist groups. Svane also commended India's decision to send an all-party delegation led by Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to Copenhagen, highlighting the importance of international solidarity in addressing the issue. He noted that this initiative has been well-received in Denmark and reflects India's commitment to combating terrorism. In addition, Svane criticised Pakistan's handling of terrorist activities. 'Pakistan may present many faces, but when it comes to terrorism, it reveals its true and ugly face,' he said, referring to recent incidents such as the Pahalgam attack as evidence of Pakistan's continued involvement in cross-border terrorism. Svane concluded by emphasising the need for a unified global response to combat terrorism and hold accountable those who support and finance such activities. His statements add to the growing international pressure on Pakistan to take concrete actions against terrorism and its financing.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Europe can't show any flexibility on countering terrorism: Denmark's former Ambassador backs India's stance
Denmark, which will assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union this year, continues to back India's Operation Sindoor and New Delhi's call for a global, united effort to combat the threat of terrorism. Speaking exclusively to IANS, Freddy Svane, the former Danish Ambassador to India, asserted that there can be no flexibility on the European side as far as countering terrorism is concerned. Lauding India's Operation Sindoor diplomatic outreach mission, the seasoned diplomat also backed calls to put Pakistan back on the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Excerpts: IANS: India is sending a very strong global message against terrorism with the visit of all-party delegations to various countries, one of which was also in Copenhagen till Saturday. How do you see this entire exercise? Freddy Svane: I think it's very important that the message that you are going to spread is listened to, heard and action taken on it. Therefore, I am pleased, having also served as Ambassador to India for more than 10 years, that India has on the backdrop of this really, really sad and deadly, inhumane Pahalgam incident, now stands up and speaks against terror. We all need to really move away from words towards actions. Therefore, the decision of the Government of India, of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to send a group of parliamentarians across the globe to speak about how we jointly fight terror is so important and very well received, also here in Denmark. IANS: Do you think that India has emerged as a stronger nation during Operation Sindoor? Freddy Svane: I think so. Even now, I asked some of the visiting Indian parliamentarians here that is that a new thing? As I have never in my life experienced that India would be sending such all-party delegations across the globe to really voice its concerns about terror and the impact of terror. I was told there was some similar thing done decades back. But the fact that India is now standing up on this is important. It will give India a special role and a special place because India now stands up against terror. That's a new normal, and nobody should be in any doubt of what will happen if terror is not stopped. We are working closely together, as a world and as one big family. IANS: Pakistan, however, isn't learning from its mistakes and continues to export terror to India... Freddy Svane: I lived in India, as you all know, for 10 years, over two periods of time. We lived with terror, we felt the impact and so forth. Obviously, we all knew that Pakistan was behind them one way or another. You might argue that there are different faces in Pakistan; there's the political and the army. But, when it boils down to terror, there can't be two faces. There's only one ugly face, and we know that Pakistan has been instigating a lot of terror attacks against India. Sadly, with this incident, the time is really ripe for a conscious joint and coordinated response to terror, and thereby also calling out Pakistan. IANS: Do you think it is high time to put Pakistan back on the FATF grey list? Freddy Svane: I think so. Terror doesn't come out of the blue. It's something that has to be financed, structured and so forth. So, it's a long, concerted action that lies behind all this terror. And therefore, you need to do whatever you can globally, also regionally, to secure that we don't have financing that will flow into the streams of terror. It has to stop. Yes, Pakistan has to be put where it belongs. So, they have to be put on that list, no doubt about that. IANS: You first met Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. India has grown tremendously under his leadership over the last decade or so... Freddy Svane: That's true. I have seen India growing. I have a huge passion for India, and so will be known by many. I was the first European Ambassador when I was in service, really to meet the honourable Prime Minister today. I met him back in May 2011 in Gujarat, and we had a very nice and long interaction. That, of course, grew over the years. When I came back as Ambassador from a second tenure in 2019, we continued, and we developed the Green Strategic Partnership. So, I think we have a very, very close and good relationship. I have seen India growing, becoming much more outward-looking. India has its own role. It's a country, a nation, which is really trying to define its own trajectory towards what is called 'Viksit Bharat' and I am a strong believer myself in 'Viksit Bharat', meaning that, of course, we have to work together and that's what Denmark and India have been doing. Under Prime Minister Modi's leadership, India has grown and will continue to grow, no doubt about that. We need a strong India, no doubt about that either. IANS: PM Modi has established himself as a very strong global leader over the years and has proved it yet again during Operation Sindoor... Freddy Svane: Yes, he has. In my interaction with the visiting parliamentary delegation, I also highlighted that when India had the G20 presidency, it rose as a global power by calling the Global South, and by also inviting the African Union into the G20. All that is a combination, the agenda of India and Prime Minister Modi to be a global player that will have a role to secure that the world will be a better, greener and more sustainable place for all of us in the future. Obviously, Prime Minister Modi, by his resolute action through Operation Sindoor, has really shown that India has drawn new red lines and that is the new normal. You should not really be in any doubt that India is a power that is ready, willing to act whenever it's needed. That's a new normal here, thanks to Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi. IANS: Do you think Operation Sindoor has boosted PM Modi's image further and added to the numerous achievements of his government in the last 11 very successful years? Freddy Svane: Of course, the fact that all party delegations are sent to various countries in various parts of the world just to speak about Operation Sindoor and the atrocities proves it. It shows that it is time now to stand up against terror and the way in which Pakistan, almost throughout its lifetime, has instigated terror attacks. India has shown that it has grown and is a global player, a very, very important player and that India can take action. You need a strong leader like Prime Minister Modi who can steer that kind of direction and make it clear that I am the man and I am the true defender of India. Therefore, his popularity, also outside of India, has grown, and there will be no person on this planet who will be in doubt of who is in charge and who is the leader of India, which is not only the most populous nation on earth but also the fourth largest economy of the world. So, Prime Minister Modi has grown and is being seen across the world as a very, very important, strong and strategic thinking leader, which is so important for all of us. A strong India, a strong Prime Minister is what we are looking for, and that is what we have got, though sadly on a very bad backdrop of this deadly Pahalgam incident. But when times are bad and things have to be dealt with, you also need someone who can move from words to actions. That has happened, and it is really fantastic. IANS: Do you see European countries on the same page as far as countering state-sponsored terrorism is concerned? Freddy Svane: This is a tricky question. I think, at least nowadays, and given whatever happened in India and given the atrocities and inhuman behaviour, there can be no flexibility on the European side as to how we have to fight terror. Terror is a global menace that we have to really fight, and whatever tool we have, we should deploy. I do hope that, with this tour of Indian parliamentary groups, there is a common understanding and a kind of awareness that we have to move away from words to actions. Of course, I will be following a little bit closely what will come out of all these visits to various countries - will there be more coordinated, more joint efforts to fight terror, or will we just see another range of words and no actions? I think the answer lies very much in the way in which India will take these visits and say we have sent all party delegations to these countries, important countries across the globe, and now there is a common sense that we have to do and deal with terror and let's propose some actions. So, I hope that India will come up with that kind of action programme, saying this is what we need to do, and hopefully, countries not just in Europe but also other places on this planet will join in and say terror is a global menace and we have to fight it. Terror will happen as long as we are not united. Now we seem to be united, thanks to India and Prime Minister Modi. IANS: Pakistan is left with very few 'all-weather friends', is it not high time that these countries too realise that they are backing a terror state? Freddy Svane: Yeah, but I'm not surprised that some countries have placed themselves in that camp. I think we all have to get together and find and define the common position because terror, regardless of how we define what terror is, and what kind of components will go into terror, cannot be in any country, any population, or any people's interests to face the menace of terror. Therefore, we have to stand together. I hope that the diplomatic outreach will at least secure that more and more countries will join the camp of India and say, enough is enough. Let's now move from words, diplomatically framed words, to actions. Therefore, as I said, I hope, as a former Ambassador to India, that India and Prime Minister Modi will stand up and say this is the catalogue of actions we need to take. IANS: What was your first reaction on hearing about the extradition of 2008 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana to India, who was also prosecuted for providing material support for a terror attack in Denmark? Freddy Svane: I was so relieved. I think it shows that justice will prevail at some point in time, and those who are committing terror and terror-related activities will be brought to justice. There should be no safe haven for terrorists. When I saw the extradition of Rana to India, I felt relieved because India has been pushing for that for many, many years, and finally, the extradition happened. I do hope that it sends a very strong message across that you can't hide, use whatever kind of institutional tool that you might access to prevent yourself from being brought to justice. So, it was a great, great, great achievement, I will say! IANS: Denmark is also the only country in the world with which India has a Green Strategic Partnership. How do you see this bilateral relationship progressing? Freddy Svane: I don't see any limits to it. If I may say so. It all started with my first meeting with the honourable Chief Minister, now Prime Minister, back in May 2011 in Gujarat. The two of us discussed how we could work together at that time. I was the Danish Ambassador, but we had a kind of shared vision, a mission to move towards a greener and sustainable development. In that context, we developed this kind of idea. We had, in fact, in 2012-13 held a number of seminars, workshops in Gujarat's Gandhinagar, where we put focus on renewables, wind, water and so forth. I see there's a direct line between this and the fact that we have this green strategic partnership, I think it combines -- as honourable Prime Minister has said many times -- it combines the skills of India and the skills of Denmark. India has a lot of skills. I went to Khavda, the Adani big project, last year. I was so blown away by the magnitude and the kind of strategy aligned behind it. It was an eye-opener, and it shows that the green transition, green strategic cooperation, whatever we call it, is so important. It's not only good for bilateral relations but a must for all of us. We need to secure that we have a better and more sustainable world so that we can look into the future. Our next generations will be suffering if we don't crack this climate crisis. Therefore, I was so pleased when honourable Prime Minister Modi came to Denmark, and we could really take the green strategic partnership forward, which is so important. I do hope that it will also inspire others because what can be done bilaterally is not enough. It calls for a kind of global action, like the fight against terror.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Put Pakistan where it belongs - on FATF grey list: Former Danish Ambassador
Copenhagen/New Delhi: Lauding India's Operation Sindoor and the ongoing diplomatic outreach mission, a seasoned diplomat from Denmark on Sunday advocated the international community to take a strong action against Pakistan, including by putting the country back on the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for its continuous involvement in terror financing and backing global terror outfits. Speaking exclusively to IANS, Freddy Svane, the former Danish Ambassador to India, said that it is high time for the world to acknowledge that Pakistan remains the epicentre of terrorism in the region. "Terror doesn't come out of the blue. It's something that has to be financed, structured and so forth. So, it's a long, concerted action that lies behind all this terror. Therefore, you need to do whatever you can globally, also regionally, to ensure that we don't have financing that will flow into the streams of terror. It has to stop. Pakistan has to be put where it belongs. So, they have to be put on that list, no doubt about that," Svane told IANS. Svane, a well-travelled and highly experienced diplomat, served as the Ambassador to India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives twice, first from 2010 to 2015 and then in another stint which ended in December 2024. Having spent so much time in India, he witnessed Pakistan unleashing terror on India on several occasions. "I lived in India, as you all know, for 10 years, over two periods of time. We lived with terror and felt the impact. Obviously, we all knew that Pakistan was behind them one way or another. You might argue that there are different faces in Pakistan, there's the political and also the army. But, when it boils down to terror, there can't be two faces. There's only one ugly face, and we know that Pakistan has been instigating a lot of terror attacks against India. Sadly, with this incident in Pahalgam, the time is really ripe for a conscious joint and coordinated response to terror and thereby also calling out on Pakistan," he said. Heaping praise on India's ongoing diplomatic outreach to several countries by sending all-party delegations, the former Ambassador believes that New Delhi has sent a very strong message to the world that it will, from now on, not tolerate any heinous act of terrorism sponsored by Pakistan. "The fact that all-party delegations are sent to countries in various parts of the world just to speak about Operation Sindoor and the atrocities proves that it is time now to stand up against terror and the way in which Pakistan, almost throughout its lifetime, has instigated terror attacks. India has shown that it has grown and is a global player, a very, very important player and that India can take action," Svane remarked. The former diplomat also met an all-party delegation led by Ravi Shankar Prasad, which was in Copenhagen from May 29-31, to convey India's unwavering stance against terrorism and its resolve to obliterate every trace of it. "I think it's very important that the message that you are going to spread is listened to, heard, and action is taken on it. Therefore, I am pleased, having also served as Ambassador to India for more than 10 years, that India has on the backdrop of this really, really sad and deadly, inhumane Pahalgam incident, now stands up and speaks against terror. We all need to really move away from words towards actions. Therefore, the decision of the government of India, of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to send a group of parliamentarians across the globe to speak about how do we jointly fight terror is so important and very well received, also here in Denmark," he said "I asked some of the visiting Indian parliamentarians if it is a new thing, as I had never in my life experienced that India would be sending such all-party delegations across the globe to voice its concerns about terror and the impact of terror. I was told something similar was done decades ago. But the fact that India is now standing up on this is important. It will give India a special role and a special place because India now stands up against terror. That's a new normal, and nobody should be in any doubt of what will happen if terror is not stopped. We are working closely together, as a world and as one big family," Svane added.
India Gazette
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Ravi Shankar Prasad led all-party delegation attends luncheon with former Danish parliamentarians in Copenhagen
Copenhagen [Denmark], May 30 (ANI): All-party delegation led by BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad attended the luncheon interaction with former Danish parliamentarians in Copenhagen. The event, hosted by the Indian Ambassador, provided a platform for discussion and exchange of ideas. The delegation's engagement with former MPs, including Freddy Svane; former ambassador of Denmark to India, Manu Sareen; former MP and an author, Helle Degn; Vice-President of the Mandela Center and Niels Ahlmann-Ohlsen, former MP and currently CEO of Strategic Alliance International ApS aimed to foster stronger ties between India and Denmark. Earlier today, the delegation also met with Chairperson of Danish Parliament's Foreign Policy Committee, Christian Friis Bach and Danish MP Trine Pertou Mach. After the interaction, BJP MP Samik Bhattacharya said that both Bach and Mach expressed concern and condemned the brutal terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. 'Both of them expressed their concern and condemned the brutality that happened in Pahalgam. They said clearly that they stand with India. We also told them that terrorism is also going on in the financial sector,' the BJP MP told ANI. He claimed that Pakistan is sending fake currency to 'cripple the Indian economy.' 'They (Pakistan) are sending fake currency to cripple the Indian economy. Instead of socio-economic development with the help of international funds, they are encouraging their military operations and secret intelligence. Pakistani military personnel are looting the money... We are not concerned with Pakistan's internal matters. The only talks we can have with Pakistan now are on PoK,' he said. He further claimed that Pakistan is converting Bangladesh into a 'terrorist Launchpad' through illegal immigration, infiltration, and radicalisation. 'We share a border with Pakistan and Bangladesh... The Pakistan border has some difficult terrain. But the Bangladeshi border is much more accessible. The border is porous, unscientific... Pakistan is converting Bangladesh into a terrorist launchpad through illegal immigration, infiltration, and radicalisation,' Bhattacharya added. Friis Bach also reiterated his solidarity to India, while talking to ANI, 'We are honoured to meet a very strong delegation from the Indian Parliament, and we have expressed our heartfelt condolences... We have expressed our strong solidarity and support to India during this difficult time.' Apart from Ravi Shankar Prasad, other members of the Indian delegation included BJP MP Daggubati Purandeswari, Shiv Sena-UBT MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, Congress MPs Ghulam Ali Khatana and Amar Singh, and Ambassador Pankaj Saran. (ANI)
