Former Deputy National Security Advisor (NSA) Pankaj Saran slammed Pakistan and called on the country to take action against the terror groups operating from its soil. He also hailed the visit to Germany and appreciated the strong support India received from the country in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack.
Speaking to ANI, Former Deputy NSA said, “If I have to name any country in Europe with whom our relationship is really on an ascendant, it is Germany. The Germans understand it, we understand it, and there have been a series of interactions at the government level after April 22…Their public statements were quick and positive, so the German relationship is emerging as one of the critical relationships for India.”
Speaking on discussions with Germany about how to tackle the terrorism problem emanating from Pakistan, Saran said, “We (Indian delegation) suggested to them that one of the ways to do it is to look at the financing of terror–to look at diplomatic steps, the role of the IMF, World Bank, the FATF, the GSP plus in Europe. In all of these, Germany has a key role to play.”
Elaborating German position, Saran said, “I think the Germans got the message that what we want from them is a very unequivocal and very clear cut message to Pakistan, particularly the army establishment, which is the ruling establishment, that you know terrorism is not going to pay you any dividends, so you need to stop and you need to come back to the international mainstream.”
He added, “Words are not enough. Deeds are important. The days of giving false promises are over. What you need to see from Pakistan is actual action against terror groups.”
On India-Germany ties, Saran said, “There is a new convergence emerging between India and Germany, especially under the present government of Chancellor Merz, which was not there in the past because of the coalition in Germany, which is very positive to India.”
“So whether you talk about the condemnation of the incident, or India’s right to self-defence or the right to seek justice or in general the scourge of terrorism on all of these- the Germans were with us, so I must say that the standalone position as Germany is very positive, forward in many ways, probably more forward looking than the European Union”, Saran told ANI.
He also briefly touched upon the various avenues of collaboration between India and Germany. Saran said, “This is a new area, and I see that there is huge complementarity between the two economies. I think there is a new energy in the India-Germany economic relationship, technology, economy, science, defence, and manpower. So it is actually going to emerge as one of the most critical relationships which India will have with any European country.”
Today, the all-party delegation also called upon the Federal Foreign Minister of Germany, Johann Wadephul. The Indian Embassy in Germany shared the details.
The delegation, led by Ravi Shankar Prasad, includes BJP MPs Daggubati Purandeswari, MJ Akbar, Gulam Ali Khatana, and Samik Bhattacharya; Congress MP Amar Singh, Priyanka Chaturvedi from Shiv Sena (UBT), AIADMK MP M Thambidurai and former diplomat Pankaj Saran.
The delegation arrived in Germany after concluding their visit to Belgium. Earlier, Ravi Shankar Prasad said they raised strong concerns about terrorism during their visit to Brussels, and generals of Pakistan “run that country with the help of a military terrorist coalition”, which is a “threat” to democracy and humanity.
This diplomatic effort forms part of India’s global outreach following Operation Sindoor, 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. Subsequently, 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.
(With inputs from ANI)
