"Tour was very successful": BJP MP Baijayant Panda on all-party delegation to Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Algeria

New Delhi [India], June 3 (ANI): BJP MP Baijayant Panda led an all-party delegation to Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Algeria, successfully presented India's stance on terrorism.
The delegation shared facts and figures about the Pahalgam terrorist attack and India's response, highlighting Pakistan's role in supporting terrorism.
Panda said that all four countries have taken steps against terrorism and have a clear understanding of India's position.
"The tour was very successful. We went to four countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Algeria. All four countries have taken steps against terrorism, and their stand is also clear. They understand India. India's history is such that we do not need to give justification. We are a country of non-violence. We went there to give facts and figures about the terrorist attack in Pahalgam and India's response to that. We have also imposed economic sanctions on trade, visas, shipping and water. Our objective is that Pakistan should change its wrong policy and stop openly supporting terrorism. PM Modi has built a very good relationship with the leadership of these countries for the last 10-11 years, and they have also given the highest civilian honours of their country to PM Modi," Panda said.
India has imposed economic sanctions on Pakistan, including trade, visa, and shipping restrictions, to pressure the country to change its policy of supporting terrorism.
Panda highlighted Pakistan's history of spreading propaganda and its misuse of funding after being removed from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list. The delegation discussed these concerns with their counterparts in the visited countries
He further spoke about Pakistan's propaganda and misuse of funds, stating, "Pakistan spreads a lot of propaganda. For many years, Pakistan was on the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), due to which it was not able to misuse the funding it received for development. Now that it is not on the FATF list, it has misused it, and we have discussed this."
PM Modi's strong relationships with the leadership of these countries, built over the past 10-11 years, facilitated the delegation's successful engagement.
The all-party delegation, led by Panda and including BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey, Phangnon Konyak, and Rekha Sharma; AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi; Satnam Singh Sandhu and Ghulam Nabi Azad; and former Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, arrived in Delhi after successfully concluding their visits to Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain.
During their visit, the delegation briefed the international partners on India's response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, India's broader fight against cross-border terrorism, while engaging with leaders in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Algeria.
India's Ambassador to Algeria, Swati Vijay Kulkarni, highlighted the strong support extended by Algeria in combating terrorism. She noted that the North African nation unequivocally condemned terrorism and affirmed its solidarity with India during the delegation's visit.
"As India's global diplomatic outreach, India launched 7 groups of all-party delegations to foster cooperation in combating terrorism. The outreach was taking place in the immediate aftermath of the deadly terror attack that happened in Pahalgam on 22nd April, Operation Sindoor and subsequent developments. One such delegation, led by MP Baijayant Panda and comprising very senior MPs and former Foreign Secretary, visited Algeria from 30th May to 2nd June. During their visit to Algeria, they had very successful and productive engagements. They had two important meetings... During all these engagements, Algeria strongly condemned terrorism. They said that Algeria stands with India on the issue of terrorism. They also said that Algeria will take only the side of justice. So, we are very happy that they have given a very clear and strong message for India to remain united on terrorism," Ambassador Kulkarni said.
Earlier, Panda said that India's appeal to place Pakistan back on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list is gaining significant resonance globally, emphasising the role of illicit financing in fuelling terrorism.
He highlighted Pakistan's misuse of funds for terrorism and its military, noting that the other Islamic countries had taken a strong stand against any kind of fundamentalism in their country.
"Pakistan is not interested in improving itself or helping its people... They have diverted the money for terrorism and its army and looted it... Terrorism is fuelled by two things. One is ideology and the other is illicit finance... Ideology-wise, these Islamic countries have taken a strong stand... They do not permit any kind of fundamentalism from their soil... Financing part is the other aspect," Panda stated.
"Pakistan for many years was under FATF, which monitored the legitimate use of funding, and thus there was a period of lull in terrorism... Now, for the last couple of years, they were released from the grey list, and now they are operating freely... Our appeal to them that Pakistan should be kept on the FATF grey list is getting a lot of resonance. The world is committed to not tolerating terrorism anymore," he added.
Greylisting Pakistan by the FATF will limit its access to international loans. Pakistan was included in the grey list in 2018 and removed from it in 2022. India has stated that it will leave no stone unturned to bring Pakistan onto the grey list again.
Meanwhile, delegation members Satnam Singh Sandhu and Rekha Sharma hailed the delegation's diplomatic outreach as a resounding success. They noted that the mission has successfully exposed Pakistan's terrorist activities, with all four countries especially Algeria, endorsing India's zero-tolerance stance against terrorism and recognising the nation's challenges with cross-border terror. (ANI)