Indonesia extends support to India's fight against terrorism

Jakarta, May 28 (PTI) Indonesia on Wednesday extended its support to India's fight against terrorism in all possible forums as an all-party parliamentary delegation led by JDU MP Sanjay Kumar Jha arrived here with a mission to convey New Delhi's unequivocal stance against the menace.

The delegation met Indonesian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Arief Havas Oegroseno and "conveyed that the attack on innocent civilians at Pahalgam was an attempt to disrupt peace and drive a wedge between communities," the Indian Embassy in Jakarta posted on X.

"(The) Indonesian side reiterated its condemnation of the terrorist act and extended support in the fight against terrorism in all possible forums," it said.

The delegation also met ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn at its headquarters here.

During the meeting, Kao "commended the Indian Parliament’s active engagement in promoting inter-parliamentary dialogue and ASEAN-India cooperation, particularly as an observer in the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA)," according to the official X account of ASEAN.

He highlighted the significance of aligning legislative and executive efforts in advancing ASEAN’s regional priorities and reaffirmed the regional grouping’s commitment to the comprehensive strategic partnership with India, it said.

They also exchanged views on transnational crime, including combating terrorism and violent extremism.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The delegation also met Muhammad Husein Fadlulloh, Vice-Chairperson of the Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation, and Muhammad Rofiqi, S.H., Chairperson of the Indonesia-India Parliamentary Friendship Group, to sensitise them on India's strong commitment against terrorism.

"(The) Indonesian side conveyed that they condemn terrorism and believe in dialogue for solving problems, not terrorism as it is against humanity, supporting India's zero-tolerance approach," the Indian mission posted on X.

The delegation arrived in Jakarta earlier in the day as part of India's diplomatic outreach on Operation Sindoor.

"India stands committed to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Through this outreach, India sets out to seek understanding and support of its historic friend and comprehensive strategic partner, Jakarta," the embassy said.

Besides Jha, the delegation comprises MPs Aparajita Sarangi (BJP), Abhishek Banerjee (TMC), Brij Lal (BJP), John Brittas (CPI-M), Pradan Baruah (BJP), Hemang Joshi (BJP), former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid and former ambassador of India to France and Bahrain Mohan Kumar.

The delegation is one of the seven multi-party delegations India has tasked to visit 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community to emphasise Pakistan’s links to terrorism and assert that the recent conflict was triggered by the Pahalgam terror strike and not Operation Sindoor, as alleged by Islamabad.

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam terror attack, with India carrying out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7.

Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9, and 10. The Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions.

The on-ground hostilities ended with an understanding of stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10. PTI SCY SCY