Om Birla with Aguiar-Branco, the President of the Assembly of the Portuguese Republic
Credit: X/@ombirlakota
New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday told his Portuguese counterpart Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco that the Pahalgam terror attack was aimed at disrupting India’s progress and social harmony and urged that all countries should come together in the global fight against terrorism.
During his meeting with Aguiar-Branco, the President of the Assembly of the Portuguese Republic, in Lisbon, Birla said India firmly adheres to a "zero tolerance" policy against terrorism.
"Terrorism poses the greatest threat to global peace, stability, and human rights in today’s world.” He added that to eliminate the menace of terrorism, all progressive nations must unite and develop a joint strategy," he said.
To eliminate the menace of terrorism, he said all progressive nations must unite and develop a joint strategy. He was in Portugal enroute to Brazil to attend the 11th BRICS Parliamentary Forum meeting starting June 3.
On the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack, Birla said, "the attack aimed to disrupt India’s progress and social harmony. However, the courage, skill, and intelligence of Indian security forces thwarted these malicious intentions. Under the 'Operation Sindoor' military campaign, India neutralised terrorist hideouts and eliminated the threat."
Recalling over 500-year-old relationship with Portugal, he said the historical connection goes beyond trade and commerce and has fostered a strong people-to-people connect between our citizens
"Over the past five decades, our bilateral relations have significantly deepened. Today, India and Portugal are actively working to strengthen our shared cultural ties and pursue mutually beneficial development.”
He said both the countries share common democratic values, a commitment to peace, pluralism, and human rights, which make them natural partners on global platforms. The economic partnership between the two countries continues to grow and in recent years, bilateral trade has increased by 50%.
"India regards Portugal as a trusted and rapidly emerging economy. There is immense potential for collaboration in sectors like renewable energy, digital technology, and defense manufacturing," he said.
He also told Aguiar-Branco that Parliament is undergoing several technology-based initiatives to keep pace with modern needs, including Artificial Intelligence (AI).
With the use of AI, Birla said India’s legislative processes have become more transparent, efficient, and citizen-centric.
"Digital Sansad is a technology-based platform that has modernised India’s Parliament. It connects MPs, citizens, ministries, and all stakeholders, making operations faster, more transparent, and accessible. It has also increased public engagement in legislative proceedings. With the help of AI, old parliamentary records are being digitized, thereby preserving India’s legislative heritage and making it widely accessible," he added.
He said Parliament is using AI tools to make parliamentary proceedings available to the public in their own languages.
"Through these tools, proceedings are provided in India’s 22 constitutional languages, ensuring more effective public engagement with Parliament. India’s Parliament is perhaps the only one in the world that provides its members with access to parliamentary documents and translations in all 22 constitutionally recognized Indian languages," he said.