After Tharoor, Anand Sharma lauds govt's all-party delegation on terror
Sharma asserted that the global community cannot be selective in its approach to terrorism which is a global scourge that needs to be eliminated
In stark contrast to his party’s stand that the all-party delegation to other countries is a diversionary tactic, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma, also a member of the delegation, has praised the government’s move as an “important initiative”.
Sharma, the only candidate selected by the Centre from the list submitted by the Congress, told The Indian Express that it was crucial to sensitise the international community on the situation in the region that has occurred due to decades of cross-border terrorism, supported and sponsored by Pakistan, especially by its spy agency ISI.
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‘India’s calibrated response’
Sharma described India’s response to the Pahalgam terror attack as “measured and calibrated”, adding that very few other countries would have been able to exercise such restraint in a similar situation. He said that “India has bled”, adding that the country can never be hyphenated with Pakistan as the latter is a “promoter of terrorism” while India is a victim.
Listing out several major terror attacks in the country, backed by Pakistan, Sharma asserted that the global community cannot be “selective” in its approach to terrorism which is a “global scourge” that needs to be eliminated.
Sharma said that Pakistan also has its supporters and referred to an earlier resolution moved by New Delhi at the United Nations (UN) against terrorism that was blocked by a few countries including China. However, he also said that some action has been taken against terror-financing, like setting up the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
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‘Terrorism not just India’s problem’
As for the agenda of the delegation, Sharma said that it would apprise foreign countries of India’s stand and how Indians have suffered due to decades of terrorist activities, adding that the delegation would ensure that foreign leaders treat terrorism as a “global threat” and not only as India’s problem.
Sharma pointed out that during the UPA regime, the Manmohan Singh government sensitised the international community following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
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Congress’s ‘diversion’ jibe
Earlier, taking potshots at the Modi government’s move on the all-party delegation, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said after the 1950s, the Centre used to send all-party delegations of MPs to the UN every October-November. He alleged that it was the Modi government which ended the tradition in 2014.
Ramesh further alleged that now Modi is desperate as his global image has taken a hit and he resorted to sending an all-party delegation to divert attention from other issues.