In a pointed remark aimed at Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule on Wednesday remarked that Islamabad’s decision to send delegations abroad mirrored India’s own outreach following the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
“If someone has copied, it means our initiative has been successful. They would have thought that this initiative within Operation Sindoor, which PM Modi and the MEA took, is good and successful; they copied it,” Sule said.
Sule is leading one of the seven Indian multi-party parliamentary delegations currently touring 33 capitals across the world as part of “Operation Sindoor” – a global diplomatic outreach designed to counter Pakistan’s narrative on Kashmir and expose its alleged support for cross-border terrorism.
Her comments came in response to Pakistan dispatching two high-level delegations this week to the United States, United Kingdom, Brussels, and Russia in a bid to seek international support following India’s retaliatory strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan-occupied territories last month.
The Pakistan Foreign Office on Monday announced that a nine-member team led by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman and former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would visit Washington DC, New York, London, and Brussels beginning 2 June.
Another team, headed by Syed Tariq Fatemi, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, is set to visit Moscow around the same time.
Also read: Indian all-party team meets Egypt MPs, shares anti-terror message
In contrast, India launched its diplomatic drive immediately after the Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 civilian lives. The Modi government tasked seven parliamentary delegations comprising leaders from across the political spectrum with sensitising global powers on Pakistan’s role in the assault and garnering support for India's position on terrorism.
On Monday, Sule’s Group-7 delegation met Karim Darwish, Chairman of Egypt’s Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, along with other senior members at the House of Representatives in Cairo.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has maintained that the objective of Operation Sindoor is to ensure “decisive diplomatic messaging” and international accountability for terror actors backed by Pakistan’s establishment.
Pakistan, on the other hand, claims its diplomatic mission is focused on promoting dialogue and de-escalation, even as it faces growing scrutiny in international fora.
New Delhi, however, sees Islamabad’s response as belated and imitative.
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