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Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai, a member of the all-party delegation that visited five countries following the Pahalgam terror attack, said that the outreach effort helped clear misconceptions about Pakistan and cross-border terrorism. He said the visit helped build international support against terrorism emanating from Pakistan.
Speaking to ANI, Rai said, "We visited five countries -- Russia, Slovenia, Greece, Latvia and Spain. In all five countries, they were either misinformed or had no information at all. We cleared their doubts through evidence and our arguments. I told them the history of Pakistan at several locations. I told them that we attained independence together -- one became the largest democracy of the world, and the other became the biggest terrorist nation of the world." Rai pointed out that one common suggestion from all the countries was to engage in dialogue with Pakistan. However, he said the delegation responded by questioning the practicality of holding talks with a country where the military controls key decisions. Rai told ANI, "We received one suggestion from everywhere - You should talk to Pakistan. We said that yes we have taken your advice, but let us know with whom we should talk... Pakistan has a puppet government. It has been the history of Pakistan that whichever civilian government thinks of behaving like a civilian government, is either jailed, thrown out of the country or hanged...Pakistan is an Army which sells milk, chips, cement and deals in the real estate business. So, for them terrorism is also a business." He accused Pakistan of misusing international funds, saying,"They seek help from Muslim countries by saying one thing and then seek funds from institutions and then fund terrorism. In such a situation, it is the voice of 140 crore people that Pakistan's terrorism will not be tolerated." Rai also referred to past peace efforts made by India and the betrayals that followed. "Whenever we tried to have talks, Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited Lahore in a bus and when he was extending a hug, Musharraf was entering our country...," the SP MP added. Rai expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the foreign outreach. "After all examples, we are satisfied that wherever we went, every country eventually said that they condemn the Pahalgam incident and are with us in the fight against terrorism. We had a limited mandate. Now, it is up to the government how they go ahead on the ground we have set and what they do to isolate Pakistan," HE said. SP MP Rajeev Rai was part of the delegation, led by DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi. It also included Brijesh Chowta (BJP), Prem Chand Gupta (Rashtriya Janata Dal), Ashok Kumar Mittal (Aam Aadmi Party), and Former envoys Manjeev S Puri. The delegation briefed international partners on India's response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and its broader fight against cross-border terrorism and engaged with leaders in Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Latvia, and Russia. (ANI)
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