In a sharp jibe at Pakistan, BJP MP Samik Bhattacharya on Monday said that India is not seeking global favours but issuing a strong alert over the escalating threat of terrorism. His remarks came during a visit to London as part of multi-party parliamentary delegations being sent to several countries in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, which claimed 26 lives.
Speaking at an event, Bhattacharya said, as quoted by news agency ANI, “We are not at the doors of anyone with a begging bowl… We are here to alert all that what is happening with us will happen to you tomorrow.”
Bhattacharya, who is currently in the UK as a member of the parliamentary delegation, also criticised the inconsistent approach of some nations. “Countries change their stance to sell ammunition; they preach to us about dialogues. They say everything can be sorted out by interaction,” he said.
Nations no longer expect Pakistan to come with a ‘begging bowl’: Shehbaz Sharif
Meanwhile, speaking at the Command and Staff College in Quetta on Saturday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that countries now look to engage with Islamabad as equal partners in trade, investment, and innovation, rather than expecting it to come forward with a “begging bowl”.
Highlighting close ties with key allies, he said, “China is the most time-tested friend of Pakistan. Saudi Arabia is one of the most reliable friends of Pakistan, and so are others such as Turkey, Qatar, and UAE.”
Sharif talked about a shift in leadership mindset regarding economic dependency. “I am the last person, along with Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, willing to carry this burden any longer on my shoulders, because ultimately, it weighs on the shoulders of this great nation,” he said.
Multi-party delegation in London
The London visit is part of a broader diplomatic outreach launched by the Indian government following Operation Sindoor – a military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
The operation, initiated on May 7, targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, killing over 100 terrorists associated with groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.
The Indian delegation, led by senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, includes parliamentarians from various parties: Daggubati Purandeswari (TDP), Priyanka Chaturvedi (Shiv Sena-UBT), Ghulam Ali Khatana (BJP), Dr. Amar Singh (Congress), Samik Bhattacharya (BJP), former Union Minister MJ Akbar, and Ambassador Pankaj Saran. The team arrived in London on Saturday after visiting France, Italy, and Denmark.
In London, the delegation paid floral tributes at the Rabindranath Tagore statue at the Tagore Centre. Reflecting on the poet’s legacy, Bhattacharya said, “Rabindranath was relevant during his lifetime and so is he today. He shall also remain relevant in the future.”
Speaking on India’s diplomatic effort, Bhattacharya told ANI, “Some nations in the world sometimes change their stand to either sell their weapons, establish their hegemony or interfere with the market, and take a stand which is against humanity.”
This visit is part of seven planned international tours involving around 40 multi-party parliamentarians, marking the first time the Indian government is deputing MPs from across party lines to present India’s position on Kashmir and cross-border terrorism.
The aim is to reinforce India’s zero-tolerance stance on terrorism and expose Pakistan’s terror networks globally
(With ANI inputs)