Wednesday, 21 May 2025
Wednesday, 21 May 2025
In a coordinated outreach beginning May 23, the Indian government will send seven all-party parliamentary delegations to 32 global capitals to present a united stance against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.
Comprising 59 Members of Parliament—including 31 from the ruling National Democratic Alliance and 20 from Opposition, will be supported by former diplomats, former MPs and a chief minister.
Set to be a 10-day mission, it will be coordinated by Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju.
The Union minister, soon after the announcement, released a full list of who'll go where. There are total seven groups and each of them will be led by one senior MP.
Group 1
Countries visiting: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Algeria
Led by BJP MP Baijayant Jay Panda, the eight-member group also includes former J&K chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and retired diplomat Harsh Shringla.
Group 2
UK, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, and European Union
The group visiting European countries and the European Union headquarters in Belgium is led by BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad. It also includes former minister of state for external affairs M.J. Akbar and former Indian Ambassador to Russia Pankaj Saran.
Group 3
Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, and Singapore
The group, led by Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, includes former Union minister for external affairs Salman Khurshid, Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee, and CPM Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas.
Group 4
United Arab Emirates, Liberia, Congo, and Sierra Leone
Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde is leading India’s delegation to the UAE and key partner countries in Africa. The delegation also includes IUML MP from Kerala E.T. Mohammed Basheer and former diplomat Sujan Chinoy.
Group 5
United States of America, Panama, Guyana, Brazil, and Colombia
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who also served as under-secretary-general of the United Nations, is leading the delegation to the US and other key countries. Former Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu is also part of the delegation.
Group 6
Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Latvia, and Russia
India’s delegation to Russia and Spain is led by DMK MP from Tamil Nadu, Kanimozhi. The group also includes two former diplomats, Manjeev S. Puri and Jawed Ashraf.
Group 7
Egypt, Qatar, Ethiopia, and South Africa
The delegation led by NCP MP Supriya Sule will visit Egypt, Qatar, Ethiopia, and South Africa. The group includes Congress leaders Manish Tewari and Anand Sharma, along with V. Muraleedharan, former minister of state for external affairs, and Syed Akbaruddin, former permanent representative of India to the United Nations in Geneva.
