TOKYO, May 24: An Indian Parliamentary delegation on Saturday wrapped up its visit to Japan after engaging extensively with Japan’s political leadership, policymakers, media and the Indian community and said it was deeply encouraged by Tokyo’s unequivocal support in New Delhi’s war against terror.
The delegation, led by JD(U) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, is one of the seven multi-party delegations India has tasked to visit 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people dead.
The delegation met with Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, former prime minister Yoshihide Suga, National Security Committee Chairman Takashi Endo, and Speaker of the House of Representatives Fukushiro Nukaga.
Jha said the Indian delegation also held meaningful interactions with members of the Japan-India Parliamentary Friendship League and parliamentarians from the National Diet among others.
“At every forum, we firmly reiterated India’s zero-tolerance policy on terrorism and exposed Pakistan’s continued patronage of cross-border terror,” he said and added: “We are deeply encouraged by Japan’s unequivocal support.”
On the final day of the three-day visit, the delegation visited the Tama Cemetery here and honoured freedom fighter Rash Behari Bose on the eve of his birth anniversary.
“India follows Gandhi’s path of peace, but when peace is threatened, we also carry forward the fearless spirit of Rash Behari Bose. Non violence is our choice, not our compulsion. If terror challenges peace, India will respond with unity and resolve,” Jha said in his post on X.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, who is also the part of the all-party delegation to Japan, said if terrorism is a “rabid dog”, Pakistan is its “vile handler”, and the world must unite to tackle it.
“We are here to convey the truth— India refuses to bow down,” he said.
“We will not yield to fear. We have learnt to respond in a language that they understand,” he said during a fiery speech in Tokyo.
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 lives.
India carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7, following which Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9, and 10. The Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions.
The on-ground hostilities ended with an understanding of stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10.
Banerjee said The Resistance Front (TRF), which is behind the Pahalgam attack, is a proxy organisation of Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is recognised as a UN-designated terrorist group.
“We are all aware of how Pakistan hastily attempted to dissociate Lashkar from the list. Moreover, after the air strikes, public domain images showed senior Pakistan army officials attending the funerals of the terrorists killed in the strikes,” he said.
The delegation also interacted with members of the Indian diaspora at the Embassy. Terming the diaspora as the country’s “greatest asset,” Banerjee said, “I want you to be the nation’s foremost evangelist—proponents of India’s message in the global fight against terrorism.”
“We urge you to raise awareness of this issue within your circles, through your networks, and via local influencers, in your own unique ways,” he said.
The delegation members “emphasised India’s zero tolerance to Terrorism and conveyed the messages that terror and talks cannot go together; blood and water cannot flow together. They reaffirmed India’s unwavering commitment to combating cross-border terrorism and urged the Indian diaspora to continue to spread this message to every corner of Japan,” the Indian embassy in Japan posted on X. (PTI)
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