Pakistan was in the grip of a military-terrorist nexus, with generals of the Pakistan armed forces using terrorism as a proxy to maintain their relevance, with Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir speaking the language of fascism, said BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Addressing a press conference after his return as the head of a multi-party delegation that visited Italy, France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany and Denmark, Mr. Prasad said that the delegation gave a historical context to India’s actions concerning Operation Sindoor.
“Pakistan is not only a state in denial, but the military-terrorist nexus has become a deadly combination,” he said.
“When we talked about history, we talked about how Pakistan is in the hands of Generals… The world needs to understand that Pakistan is in the grip of a military-general nexus whose dirty job is done by the terrorists and terrorist camps,” he added.
He said that the delegation also spoke about a speech by now Field Marshal Asim Munir ahead of the Pahalgam terror attack, which mentioned how Hindus and Muslims were “different” and that the creation of Pakistan was on the basis of that difference, and that future generations of that country must be told of it. He added that these were the words of a “jihadi general” and that “Asim Munir was speaking the language of fascism”, which should ring alarm bells in European capitals.
He emphasised that India has never been the aggressor in any conflict. “We have fought conventional wars (with Pakistan), but we were never the aggressors. We made it clear that we are not against the people of Pakistan,” he said.
Mr. Prasad stated that all Indian governments have made genuine attempts to foster good relations with Pakistan. “Prime Minister Modi called Nawaz Sharif (former Pakistan Prime Minister) for his swearing-in ceremony, went to his grandson’s wedding too and then Uri (attack) happened and we gave a befitting reply; then, similarly with Pulwama, and now this (Pahalgam),” he said.
The delegation led by Mr. Prasad also included BJP MPs Daggubati Purandeswari, Gulam Ali Khatana, and Samik Bhattacharya, former BJP MP M.J. Akbar, Congress MP Amar Singh, Shiv Sena (UBT)‘s Priyanka Chaturvedi, AIADMK MP M. Thambidurai and former diplomat Pankaj Saran.
Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 in response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam by Pakistan-sponsored militants that claimed 26 lives and injured several others.
Following retaliation from Pakistan, the Indian Armed Forces carried out targeted strikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of over 100 terrorists linked to groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.
Published – June 10, 2025 08:14 pm IST