Indian diaspora in UK lauds Op Sindoor, PM Modi's leadership against terrorism

London, June 2 (IANS) Members of the Indian diaspora in the UK have lauded the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government's decisive action against cross-border terrorism through Operation Sindoor and expressed pride in India giving a befitting reply to Pakistan-sponsored terror.

The sentiments were echoed during an outreach programme organised by the Indian Embassy in the UK here on Sunday (local time), where an all-party Parliamentary delegation led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Ravi Shankar Prasad engaged with the diaspora, highlighting India's unequivocal, unified and assertive stance against terrorism.

The nine-member delegation includes -- Ravi Shankar Prasad (BJP), Daggubati Purandeswari (BJP), Priyanka Chaturvedi (Shiv Sena-UBT), Ghulam Ali Khatana (BJP), Amar Singh (Congress), Samik Bhattacharya (BJP), M. Thambidurai (AIADMK), former Union Minister M.J. Akbar and former Ambassador Pankaj Saran, arrived in the UK capital late Saturday evening (local time).

The delegation was received by the High Commissioner of India to the UK, Vivek Doraiswami.

Following the delegation's interaction with the Indian community in London on Sunday afternoon (local time), the members of the diaspora praised Operation Sindoor and PM Modi-led government's leadership.

An Indian community member, while praising the Indian Armed forces for successfully carrying out 'Operation Sindoor', said: "This (Operation Sindoor) is a huge success. We (India) showed Pakistan in just five days what we are capable of doing and its impact has been felt in the whole world. As you can see Pakistan's military requested India to announce ceasefire so this operation is a great success. India has given a befitting reply to Pakistan and if the latter commits any misadventure then India will again enter Pakistan and give a fitting response. In a conflict, you never know on which side a bomb will explode but I think whatever happened is a lesson for Pakistan."

Another community member said: "I hail Operation Sindoor and Sindoor is not just an ornament for a married woman but is a symbol of India's unity and for safeguarding our husband's life. I hail Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and support him. Violence and terrorism should not be tolerated at any cost... India has never attacked any country but if someone attacks us then we need to give a befitting response to them which is the right and fair thing to do."

A third community attendee said: "It is great to be here at the Indian High Commission in the UK... am really excited to hear what the Indian government officials have to say on Operation Sindoor and what happened recently in Kashmir. As a woman of Indian-origin who has family in India and travelled several times to Kashmir in the past as a tourist... I feel it is really important to hear the Indian government's stand on how Indians and anyone can feel safe and protected back home."

Another diaspora member said: "All Indian diaspora members have gathered today at the Indian High Commission in the UK here and speak on India's collective position on terrorism and whatever action India took was against giving terrorism a befitting response. However, the Pakistan Army and government supported terrorists and we have nothing against the people of Pakistan. We want peace between both India and Pakistan. But Pakistan removed the 'sindoor' of our sisters. We as a members of Indian diaspora want to send a message to the whole world that India has done the right thing to launch Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. Operation Sindoor has not ended but only temporarily halted. India will finally take away Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) in the coming days or months and it will become a part of India. If Pakistan commits any further terror acts, India will again enter the neighbouring country's territory and give a befitting response."

The all-party delegation led by BJP Ravi Shankar Prasad visited the Ambedkar Museum in London during its visit to the UK capital as part of India's outreach effort to convey India's unequivocal commitment to defeat terrorism.

The delegation visited Ambedkar Museum in London and paid tributes to B.R. Ambedkar.

According to sources, in commemorating Babasaheb's leadership and vision, the team of MPs also recalled that one of the most outrageous examples of Pakistan-abetted and directed terror began in Mumbai on November 26, 2008, "on the anniversary of the adoption of our Constitution on that day in 1949, the drafting of which was led by Babasaheb Ambedkar".

The MPs emphasised the resolve of Indian democracy to confront and defeat terrorism in all its forms.

During their four-day visit to Britain, the delegation is scheduled to meet the Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle; Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Minister for Indo-Pacific, MP Catherine West; members of the both Houses of the UK Parliament, and key representatives from media, think-tanks, and the Indian diaspora.

The Indian Embassy in London earlier on X wrote: "An All-Party Parliamentary delegation comprising of former Ministers, members of Parliament, and a former Ambassador, led by Ravi Shankar Prasad, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, arrived in London late this evening. The Delegation is on a visit to the United Kingdom from May 31 to June 3, 2025, with a mission to convey India's unequivocal commitment to defeat terrorism."

--IANS

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