Nationalist Congress Party MP Supriya Sule, leading Group 7 of the Indian all-party delegation, delivered an emotional address to the Indian diaspora in Cairo, recalling the shock and grief that swept the nation following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
“Five weeks ago, India’s soul was hurt,” Sule said, referring to the deadly terror strike that left 26 people dead. “What happened in Pahalgam came as a shock to all of us — it was completely unexpected.”
Sule revealed that at the time of the attack, she and fellow parliamentarians, including BJP MP Anurag Thakur and Congress MP Manish Tewari, were in New Delhi engaged in high-level discussions on electoral reform, particularly the “One Nation, One Election” proposal. “We were all in Delhi, deliberating how to make India a stronger democracy. We were completely oblivious to what was unfolding in Pahalgam,” she added.
The address highlighted the emotional weight the tragedy continues to carry, even as the delegation travels abroad to share India’s stance on terrorism with international partners.
Congress MP Manish Tewari, speaking from Cairo, called for decisive global action against countries that use terrorism as a tool of statecraft. “The time has come to proscribe, once and for all, those states which use terror as an instrument of state policy,” he said. “Pakistan unfortunately ranks as the prima donna among such nations.”
BJP MP Anurag Thakur, also part of the delegation, emphasized India’s growing soft power on the global stage. He recounted interactions with international delegations during his ministerial tenure that showcased the popularity of Indian culture, even in regions where people may not speak Indian languages.
“In Central Asia and Russia, young students would perform Bollywood songs—some even from the era of Mithun Chakraborty,” he recalled, highlighting the far-reaching cultural influence India enjoys globally.
The multi-party delegation—comprising MPs Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Vikramjeet Singh Sahney, Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, Anand Sharma, V. Muraleedharan, and diplomat Syed Akbaruddin—is on a diplomatic mission to counter misinformation and rally global support for India’s zero-tolerance policy on terrorism.
The delegation’s visit aims to brief foreign leaders on India’s response to the Pahalgam attack and reinforce global understanding of its counterterrorism strategy, including the recent launch of Operation Sindoor, a military action that targeted terror infrastructure across the border.
As part of their outreach, the delegation continues to engage political counterparts, thought leaders, and Indian communities abroad, with a unified message: India will not remain silent in the face of cross-border terror.
