Entire country has come together to condemn terrorism: Indian Envoy to Japan
Tokyo: Ambassador of India to Japan, Sibi George, said on Saturday that the All-Party Delegation had a productive day conducting meetings with the leaders of Japan.
George told ANI that the members of the parliament were speaking on the issue of terrorism in one voice, which reflected the power of India's diversity.
"It has been a great day yesterday for the members of parliament visiting the Foreign Office, the parliament, and today again we started the day with an interaction with the resident ambassadors and you have seen how proactive the engagement and interaction were there questions and answers and was very happy to see the members of the parliament replying to their questions in one voice. It's an amazing thing to see India's diversity," he said.
George, in conversation with ANI, said that everyone attending the meetings condemned the dastardly April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
"We had received our members of parliament yesterday early morning, and since then, it has been continuous meetings and interactions with the Japanese side. They met the Foreign Minister. They met the former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, and members of the parliament from the Japanese side also attended the Raisina dialogue, where we spoke about counterterrorism and the fight against terrorism," he said.
George said that Japan was the first country to voice its condemnation against the attack. All ministers expressed condolences to the families.
"In India, the whole nation has come together in its fight against terrorism. Japan was one of the first countries to condemn the attack immediately after the incident on April 22nd. On 23rd itself, for Prime Minister of Japan telephoned our honourable Prime Minister and condemned the terror attacks, extended full support in the fight against terrorism, condolences on sympathies to the victims. So then the foreign ministers spoke," he said.
George said that he received several condolences from the Japanese across all levels, and their commitment to the fight against terrorism.
"I have received so many condolences messages and support messages from the Japanese at every level, and so it has been a, a period where everyone stood together in their commitment in their determination in the fight against terrorism," he said.
George further said that India is the most peaceful country in the world, just as Japan is, and both countries follow the doctrine of nonviolence. He further talked about the Mahatma Gandhi Bust in Hiroshima, which was unveiled by PM Modi on May 20, 2023, to perpetuate the same sentiment.
"India is the most peaceful country in the world, and India's connected with Japan. If you travel, you will find that they look at India as the land of Buddha. Lord Buddha is the symbol of non-violence, and again Mahatma Gandhi [echoes similar sentiment]. Last year, during the visit of the honourable Prime Minister to the Hiroshima National Park Peace Park, we installed the statue of Mahatma Gandhi. Why? Because he is the icon of peace," he said.
George added that India stands for peace in the region. But the enemy had a target to disrupt peace in the region, as normalcy was returning in Jammu and Kashmir.
"So India is the land of peace and in Indian administered Jammu and Kashmir, peace had returned, stability was there, democratic government was there, and life was normal. Schools were open, universities were open. Tourism was flourishing. The business-wise life was very normal. That was the time the enemy hit. The enemy hit and purpose was very clear- destroy the progress . Destroy the harmony, religious harmony, communal harmony in India. That was the purpose," he said.
George India's message was loud and clear, which is to condemn terrorism, and the entire country had come together for that.
"There is no way we are going to let that happen. The whole country has to come together. Members of parliament from different political parties came together with one voice, zero tolerance to terrorism. And the message was loud and clear from the Indian side to our Japanese friends, to the diplomatic community, to the media. They went everywhere with one voice," he said.
George said that this was a great achievement as the delegation conveyed its message of strength and determination to destroy terrorism.
"This is a great achievement. I see it and you were seeing the interaction today and yesterday at every level. So I think it was a good visit and it helped us, convey our Message loud and clear, our unity, our strength, and our determination to go to any extent in destroying the infrastructure of terrorism," he said.
An all-party parliamentary delegation from India, led by Sanjay Kumar Jha, Member of Parliament, is visiting Japan from May 22 to 24. The delegation includes Ambassador Mohan Kumar, BJP MP Hemang Joshi, CPI(M) MP John Brittas, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi, BJP MP Brij Lal, and BJP MP Pradan Baruah.
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