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New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Triumph of India's diplomatic crusade against terror
Another vital goal was to impress on our international interlocutors Pakistan's complicity in such acts of terror and its malign nurturing of terror groups, weaponised against India as an instrument of state policy. The ultimate objective of this outreach was to garner global support for India's counterterrorism efforts—all while driving home the point that the perpetrators of terror and the victims of it must never be spoken of in the same breath, let alone be the object of mediation, as if terrorists and their victims could be placed on an equal plane. But even while these delegations where on their missions, conflicting views surfaced in our congested (and often confused) news space on the question of their success, with some dismissing it as a drain on taxpayers' money. The truth is that we have succeeded, emphatically and evidently, in what we set out to do. As the leader of one of the seven delegations, these are my reflections on some of the achievements of our outreach across five nations in South, Central, and North America: Guyana, Panama, Colombia, Brazil, and the US. In all these five countries, our delegation was greeted with tremendous enthusiasm and regard for India's democratic, inclusive, and united approach to this crucial national security concern. With our diversity—of political affiliation, faith, mother tongue and native region—on ample display, yet speaking the same language of resolve and righteousness, we undertook a series of high-profile engagements. Notably, we met the President of Guyana, Mohamed Irfaan Ali; Prime Minister of Guyana, Brigadier Mark Anthony Phillips; Vice President of Brazil, Geraldo Alckmin; and Vice President of the US, J D Vance. To ensure that our message resounds in the highest decision- and law-making forums of these countries, we provided thorough briefings on Operation Sindoor and India's evolving counterterrorism policy to government officials and lawmakers—including the heads of external affairs committees in all five countries, presidents of the national assembly in two, and in the US, the Senate foreign relations committee, House foreign affairs committee, and the India Caucus). To shape public discourse in these nations, we extensively engaged with the media and policy experts, participated in think tank deliberations—as with the Council on Foreign Relations in the US— and brought the Indian diaspora up to speed with developments back at home, providing them with accurate information to serve as advocates for India's position. Though our target audience was those concerned with foreign policy who could make an impact and we had no unrealistic expectations of mass media attention in a crowded news space, our outreach was positively covered by major outlets in the countries concerned. While anchored in the core issue of terrorism, our engagements also spanned broader domains of strategic, technological, defence, trade and economic cooperation, serving to deepen our bonds with the five nations.
India Gazette
26-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Guyana's PM emphasises peaceful coexistence and rule of law in meeting with all-party delegation led by Shashi Tharoor
Berbice [Guyana], May 26 (ANI): Prime Minister of Guyana, Mark Anthony Phillips, reaffirmed the longstanding relationship between India and Guyana. With 40 per cent of Guyana's population of Indian origin, the Prime Minister highlighted the historical ties, which span over 150 years. He also emphasised Guyana's stance against terrorism and advocated for the peaceful existence of all nations. After meeting the all-party delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, Prime Minister of Guyana Brig Mark Anthony Phillips told ANI, ' There is a very good relationship between India and Guyana. 40% of the population of Guyana is of Indian origin. We have a relationship that is over 150 years old between India and Guyana. This visit symbolises the strength of the relationship between the two countries.' He further said, 'Guyana condemns any act of terrorism. We feel that every nation and people have the right to exist peacefully in their own country. We believe in observance of the rule of law.' Phillips also emphasised the importance of people-to-people contact in strengthening bilateral ties and welcomed investments from India. 'We welcome investments from companies in India. The cooperation has grown over the years and it will continue to grow. What is important is people-to-people contact. We welcome the visit by Parliamentarians from India,' he told ANI. Meanwhile, the Vice President of Guyana, Bharrat Jagdeo, offered support to India in the fight against terrorism. The Vice President underscored the need to bring to justice the perpetrators of terrorist activities and also appreciated the visit of the Indian delegation to Guyana. While speaking to ANI, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said, 'It was an excellent visit. I assured the delegation that Guyana stands unequivocally with India. We are against terrorism and we believe that all those who perpetrate terrorist activities must be brought to justice. We are happy that the delegation came from India to Guyana'. The all-party delegation led by Shashi Tharoor met the Vice-President of Guyana after their arrival earlier on Sunday (local time). The all-party delegation comprises Shambhavi Chaudhary (Lok Janshakti Party), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), G M Harish Balayagi (Telugu Desam Party), Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejaswi Surya, Bhubaneswar K Lata (all from BJP), Mallikarjun Devda (Shiv Sena) and Former Indian Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu. The members of the Indian community and the Indian diaspora in Guyana welcomed the all-party delegation with a resounding applause and enthusiasm. Hailing India's response against acts of terror perpetuated by Pakistan, the members of the Indian community expressed their heartfelt support. The all-party 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. (ANI)
India Gazette
26-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Guyana feels like Mini India; fully supports Operation Sindoor": BJP MP Tejasvi Surya
Berbice [Guyana], May 26 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Tejasvi Surya, after meeting Guyana's Prime Minister Brigadier (Retd.) Mark Anthony Phillips highlighted the strong ties between India and Guyana, emphasising the latter's support for Operation Sindoor. He further stated that the country 'feels like a mini India.' 'Today, we met the Vice President and Prime Minister of Guyana. In both these important meetings, the top officials of both these countries spoke in favour of India and fully supported Operation Sindoor. Guyana and India have had an excellent relationship for a very long time. About 40% of the population of Guyana is connected to Indian culture, and they are of Indian origin. Around 1830-1840, more than 2 lakh people, especially from the then Uttar Pradesh and today's Bihar, came here to work in agriculture during the British era by taking indentures. Whether it is Diwali, Ramayana stories, Holi or Bollywood movies, it feels like you have come to a mini India,' he said. He further praised Guyana's consistent backing of Operation Sindoor. 'Guyana always talks about Operation Sindoor, and during this time, Guyana has supported India in every is also Guyana's 59th Independence Day. We are also participating in that program, and we wish all the citizens of Guyana a Happy Independence Day,' he said. The all-party delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor arrived earlier today in Guyana. The Delegation comprises Tejaswi Surya, Shambhavi Chaudhary (Lok Janshakti Party), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), GM Harish Balayagi (Telugu Desam Party), Shashank Mani Tripathi, Bhubaneswar K Lata (all from BJP), Mallikarjun Devda (Shiv Sena) and Former Indian Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu. The delegation will project India's national consensus and firm stance on combating terrorism in all its forms. During their outreach, they will carry India's strong message of zero tolerance against terrorism to the global community. 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. (ANI)
