Qatar emphasises zero-tolerance towards terrorism during Indian delegation's visit

Doha: Qatar emphasised zero-tolerance towards terrorism during the all-party delegation's visit here that highlighted the need to stop differentiating the terrorists and their backers, the Indian mission in Doha said on Tuesday.

The multi-party delegation led by MP Supriya Sule on Monday concluded its visit to Qatar -- the first leg of the four-nation tour planned following the Pahalgam terrorist attack, Operation Sindoor and the subsequent developments.

"The Qatar side emphasised its own zero-tolerance policy against terrorism and stressed that terrorism must be condemned. The delegation appreciated the condemnation of the Pahalgam attack by the Government of Qatar and thanked the Qatari leadership for its support," a statement by the Indian embassy here said.

It said the visiting delegation over the past two days met Mohamed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Faisal bin Mohammed Al Thani, the Minister of State for Interior Affairs, Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council Hamda bint Hassan Al Sulaiti and several other Qatari dignitaries.

"The Indian delegation conveyed India’s zero-tolerance policy towards cross-border terrorism and briefed about developments since the heinous terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22," the statement said.

"The delegation shared that Operation Sindoor, conducted by India in response, was calibrated, targeted and proportionate, demonstrating India's commitment to countering terrorism without escalating tensions." "They emphasised the need to stop differentiating the terrorists and their backers and dismantling the cross-border terrorism infrastructure, developed and used against India for several decades," the statement said.

The delegation members held a round-table discussion with the academic and think-tank community at the Middle East Council for Global Affairs and interacted with the media as well as the Indian community.

Apart from Sule, the delegation members include MPs Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Vikramjeet Singh Sahney, Manish Tewari, Anurag Singh Thakur, and Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, former commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma, former minister of state external affairs V Muraleedharan, and Amb Syed Akbaruddin, former permanent representative of India to UN.

Qatar in a statement on April 23 expressed strong condemnation of the Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives.

The Gulf nation is considered to wield influence in the West Asian region and has a role as a mediator in regional conflicts.

The Sule-led group will on Tuesday travel to South Africa, which holds the current G-20 Presidency, and then head to Ethiopia, which is also the home to the African Union. The delegation will also visit Egypt, an influential country in the Arab world.

The delegation is one of the seven multi-party delegations India has tasked to visit 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community to emphasise Pakistan’s links to terrorism and assert that the recent conflict was triggered by the Pahalgam terror strike and not Operation Sindoor as alleged by Islamabad.

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam terror attack, with India carrying out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7.

Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9, and 10. The Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions.

The on-ground hostilities ended with an understanding of stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10.