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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Baijayant Panda, who is leading an all-party delegation to Algeria, slammed Pakistan on Saturday (local time), highlighting that the neighbouring country is using its nuclear power to shield its terrorist activities.
Addressing the Algerian media, members of think tanks and the Indian diaspora, Baijayant Panda said, "Pakistan has used its nuclear power to shield its terrorist training, funding and arming program. When I say that they have been doing this with terrorists openly, it is not just me saying it. You can look it up on the internet. Everybody knows Pakistan has done this many times in the past." Referring to Pakistan's support in hiding Osama Bin Laden in the country, Panda said, "Remember Osama bin Laden, for years, they used to lie until the Americans intervened and took him out. They are doing the same thing, except there are 52 Osama bin Ladens." "The United Nations Security Council, of which Algeria is a member today, has sanctioned and banned a number of terrorist organisations and individuals, among them 52 terror organisations and terrorists are openly operating in Pakistan today," he added. Additionally, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey slammed Pakistan, saying, "Since 1980, they (Pakistan) have been spending 20-25 per cent of their budget for Defence. IMF, Saudi Arabia, and the US give them loans. 80 per cent of their economy is on loans only... Their economy is in such a condition that any day, they can be the next Somalia or Sudan. Any country giving them any help will lose its money. " "In 1972, we gifted them (Pakistan) back their 93,000 soldiers, still, 54 of our army personnel are in Pakistani jail, they didn't returned them to date. This is Pakistan, and that's why we are here," he added. Joining the criticism, Rajya Sabha MP Rekha Sharma noted that Pakistan has repeatedly orchestrated these terrorist attacks on India. "It is not the first time that we are facing such a challenge. Time and again, Pakistan has done this. But this time, our Prime Minister said, we will not take it any further... They (Pakistan) started every war, but we finished on our own terms, and the same thing happened again," Rekha Sharma The delegation also observed a moment of silence in memory of those who lost their lives in the Pakistan-sponsored terror attack in Pahalgam. Baijayant Panda-led delegation includes senior parliamentarians and officials such as Nishikant Dubey, S. Phangnon Konyak, Rekha Sharma, Asaduddin Owaisi, Satnam Singh Sandhu, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and former Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla. India has sent several all-party delegations to showcase India's resolve against terrorism and garner international support for a united stand against this global threat. The Indian government's diplomatic outreach efforts aim to strengthen partnerships with countries in East and Southeast Asia, emphasising the need for a collective response to the threat of terrorism. (ANI)
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