Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla speaks at the Closing Ceremony of 11th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in Brasilia.
Credit: Lok Sabha Secretariat
New Delhi: The BRICS Parliamentary Forum has strongly condemned the Pahalgam terrorist attack and agreed to act collectively against terrorism, as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla stressed on the need for joint efforts to curb financial support to terrorist organisations, enhance intelligence sharing and prevent misuse of emerging technologies in the fight against terror.
A joint declaration was adopted at the two-day 11th BRICS Parliamentary Forum held in Brasilia, which ended on June 5, by member countries Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Indonesia.
The high-level Indian Parliamentary delegation was led by Birla, who was handed over Forum's chairmanship with India hosting the BRICS Parliamentary Forum next year.
The joint declaration "strongly condemned" the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam and member Parliaments “agreed to act collectively against terrorism”.
An official statement said delegations from these countries actively participated in the meetings of the Forum and played a key role in shaping the joint declaration. After multiple rounds of intensive discussions and deliberations, a broad consensus was reached on key global issues such as the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), global trade and economy, inter-parliamentary cooperation, global peace and security.
"India’s stance on various issues was widely appreciated and was unanimously incorporated into the final joint declaration. In particular, India’s firm policy on countering terrorism was strongly acknowledged. India unequivocally condemned all terrorist attacks and emphatically advocated for the adoption of a zero tolerance policy towards terrorism," it said.
The Indian delegation included Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, Rajya Sabha MPs Surendra Singh Nagar and Vijay Baghel, Lok Sabha MPs Vivek Thakur and Dr Shabari Byreddy, Lok Sabha Secretary General Utpal Kumar Singh and Rajya Sabha Secretary General PC Mody among others.