Cape Town [South Africa], May 28 (ANI): As part of India’s ongoing diplomatic mission under Operation Sindoor, an all-party delegation led by Nationalist Congress Party–Sharad Chandra Pawar (NCP-SCP) MP Supriya Sule visited the Parliament of South Africa on Wednesday to spotlight India’s unwavering stand against terrorism in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.
During the visit, the Indian delegation met with Les Govender, Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces—the upper house of South Africa’s Parliament—along with 13 Members of Parliament from various political parties. The dialogue centered on global counterterrorism efforts and India’s proactive measures to secure its national unity and economic progress.
Delegation member Syed Akbaruddin, India’s former Permanent Representative to the United Nations, addressed the Indian diaspora in Cape Town, describing the April 22 Pahalgam attack as a calculated attempt to fracture India’s pluralistic identity and disrupt its economic trajectory.
“Yes, this terrorist act led to a loss of a large number of lives, but it was much more. We see this as an act of undermining our social cohesion. We are a pluralistic country with diversity as our signature, yet we saw an attempt to undermine that. More importantly, we see this as an attempt to undermine our economic momentum,” Akbaruddin said.
Drawing historical parallels, he highlighted India’s past boycott of apartheid South Africa in cricket, connecting it to India’s current refusal to engage with Pakistan in sports due to terrorism. “The only country before now that we refused to play was apartheid South Africa. We are now refusing to play cricket with another country. This is a reflection of our deep revulsion,” he added.
Akbaruddin further noted the stark economic disparity between the two nations. “India and Pakistan both started together as Midnight’s Children. Our economy is about ten times or more than theirs. The economy of Maharashtra is perhaps larger than the economy of Pakistan,” he remarked.
Speaking at the event, Supriya Sule expressed the global pain felt by Indians due to the Pahalgam tragedy. She recounted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s gesture of goodwill in 2014, when he invited leaders from neighboring countries to his swearing-in ceremony as a symbol of regional peace and cooperation.
“PM Modi extended a hand of friendship to our neighbors in 2014, aiming for a peaceful and prosperous subcontinent. But the Pahalgam attack has shown that peace efforts have not been reciprocated. This incident has shaken every Indian across the world. I am happy South Africa has stood by India,” Sule said.
Sule emphasized that the essence of Operation Sindoor is not only national defense but global advocacy for peace and justice. “It is Prime Minister Modi’s wish that Operation Sindoor reaches the global stage—to show that India will not tolerate terrorism and will always stand for peace without sacrificing innocent lives,” she stated.
The visiting Indian delegation includes a diverse array of MPs and dignitaries: Supriya Sule, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Vikramjeet Singh Sahney, Manish Tewari, Anurag Singh Thakur, Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, Anand Sharma (former Minister of Commerce & Industry), V. Muraleedharan (former Minister of State for External Affairs), and Syed Akbaruddin.
The South Africa visit marks another significant step in India’s global outreach to counter terrorism and build robust international alliances through dialogue and diplomacy. (ANI)
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