Jakarta: Former Minister of External Affairs and Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Friday (May 30) said that we (India) cannot reduce ourselves to the ‘size’ and ‘stature’ of Pakistan as we don’t want a hyphen between India and Pakistan. In an interaction with the Indian community, Khurshid said, “We are asked, why did we stop?… We are not Pakistan; we are much larger than they are. We have a greater role in the world… We got respect not only for our strength, but also for showing confidence in our strength. We had to do certain things to teach Pakistan a lesson, and then we stopped because we are not greedy for Pakistan, their territory, or to destroy them.”
“We only want to preserve and protect ourselves… We want to lead the world. And in that leadership role, we cannot reduce ourselves to the size and stature of Pakistan… We don’t want a hyphen between India and Pakistan… Talk to us separately… The beauty of our plural culture, the beauty of how we live together and celebrate life together, is something that we want to show… We are patriots. We believe in humanity. We believe in our country because our country is our mother,” Salman Khurshid added.
Khurshid also clarified that India did not initiate contact with Pakistan, but rather received a call from Pakistan’s DGMO for cessation of hostilities during ‘Operation Sindoor’. The all-party delegation member explained that India stopped its actions when Pakistan’s DGMO requested cessation of hostilities and India refrained from further attacks, dismissing claims as complete hogwash.
‘Complete hogwash’ to say India called Pakistan 1st: Khurshid
“Because one of you asked, why did we stop? It’s ‘complete hogwash’ for anyone to say that we called them (Pakistan) first. Why would we call them first? Who was at the receiving end by the time the calls were made? It is more than clear to everybody that the call came from the DGMO of Pakistan to the DGMO of India. And we stopped when they said ‘Let’s stop’… And we then didn’t send any further attacks on them,” he said while interacting with the Indian community in Jakarta, addressing questions about India’s response to Pakistan’s actions.
“But the shelling across the border and the LoC continued for at least three or four hours. There were violations of the ceasefire once again, making it very clear that in Pakistan, nobody seems to be in control. The civilian government doesn’t seem to be in control. There are factions within the army, each vying with each other to become powerful. Nevertheless, we showed restraint and patience…,” added Khurshid.
No one can stop India from achieving its goals: Khurshid
Khurshid emphasised India’s aspirations to greatness and stressed that no one should distract India from its path to achieving this goal.
“India is waiting to be great. Nobody will distract us or interfere with that passage of ours. That is why we need to show our strength,” said the Congress leader.
Khurshid urged Pakistan to understand India’s demand to give up terrorism, highlighting the importance of showing strength. He emphasised that India’s message is clear and united, transcending party lines. He praised the all-party delegation’s visit, comprising members from both the ruling party and the opposition. Khurshid highlighted that their unity demonstrates India’s collective commitment to the country’s interests, rather than individual party affiliations.
Operation Sindoor’s success story
“If there is any sense in Pakistan, they will understand our only demand: give up terrorism… Some of my colleagues are not from the ruling party. The ruling party could have come alone to bring this message, but they came with us to give India’s message… However, sadly, this is not what we hear from India. Somebody is saying that he is supporting the BJP or the Congress, but I am proud that we are here together because we are not supporting each other’s parties, we are supporting one simple idea called India…,” he said.
The delegation, led by JD-U MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, includes Aparajita Sarangi (BJP), TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, Brij Lala (BJP), John Brittas (CPI-M), Pradan Baruah (BJP), Hemang Joshi (BJP), Salman Khurshid, and Mohan Kumar.
7 multi-party delegations inform nations about Pakistan-sponsored terrorism
In a diplomatic outreach following ‘Operation Sindoor’, the Modi government has formed seven multi-party delegations to inform nations about Pakistan’s links to terrorism and India’s strong message of zero tolerance for terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
Seven all-party delegations are taking part in various outreach programmes in their countries they are assigned to. 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 while engaging with leaders in France, the UK, Germany, the EU, Italy, and Denmark.
‘Operation Sindoor’ was launched on May 7 as a decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack by Pakistan-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 (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Hizbul Mujahideen.
The seven group of delegations will visit Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Algeria, the UK, France, Germany, the EU, Italy, Denmark, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea, Japan, Singapore, the UAE, Liberia, Congo, Sierra Leone, the US, Panama, Guyana, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Latvia, Russia, Egypt, Qatar, Ethiopia, and South Africa.
