World must speak in one voice against barbaric terrorism: Ravi Shankar Prasad
May 26, 2025
India wants peace and amity but not at the cost of innocent Indians, and the world must speak in one voice as far as barbaric state-sponsored terrorism is concerned, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, as an all-party delegation led by him began its six-country Europe tour in Paris.
The nine-member will be engaging with members of the Senate and National Assembly, think tanks and a cross-section of the Indian diaspora during the opening leg of their visit in France.
Meetings are also scheduled with French parliamentarians in the realm of foreign affairs for the delegation will reiterate India's zero-tolerance stance on terrorism in the wake of the brutal Pahalgam terror attacks.
"Our whole focus is very clear: India wants peace and amity, but not at the cost of the lives of our innocent Indians," Prasad told PTI ahead of the meetings.
"And if in the most barbaric manner, Pahalgam happens, there will be a cost to it, and the whole world needs to speak in one voice as far as terrorism is concerned. It's a global menace, a global cancer," he said.
The former Union minister noted how European nations, including France, the UK and Belgium, have also been victims of terrorism.
"Under Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi's leadership, if you keep on attacking with impunity, you have to pay a cost. And, Pakistan's attachment to terrorism is now completely removing the distinction between the state and the terrorist. The state of Pakistan, the deep state, is promoting terrorism as the instrument of state policy," he said.
The multi-party delegation, the seventh group in an international outreach initiative following Operation Sindoor, includes MPs Daggubati Purandeswari, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Ghulam Ali Khatana, Dr Amar Singh, Samik Bhattacharya and M. Thambidurai and former Union minister M J Akbar and former Deputy National Security Advisor Ambassador Pankaj Saran.
"India under Prime Minister Modi has become a leader in the fight, and I choose my words carefully, against the biggest danger to world peace, which is barbaric terrorism backed by nuclear power and nuclear power in the hands of a military state. This combination represents a threat, which, if the world does not wake up, if the world does not successfully understand, then governments will be doing their own people a disservice," said Akbar.
Ambassador Saran referenced the strong bilateral relationship between India and France across all spheres, including defence and security.
He said: "France is one of the most dependable, reliable and strong partners which India has, not today, but for the last many decades. Counter-terrorism and military and defence cooperation is one of the most fundamental pillars of this cooperation, including intelligence sharing.
"So, when it comes to the India-France relationship, it is actually so strong on these security matters that it really is a great boon for Indian global engagement." Besides France, the delegation will be visiting the UK, Germany, the EU, Italy and Denmark.
As part of India's diplomatic outreach, seven multi-party delegations are travelling to 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community on Pakistan's designs and India's response to terror, especially in view of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
India carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7 under Operation Sindoor, following which Pakistan attempted to attack the Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10. The Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions.
