Lome [Togo], May 28 (ANI): After concluding their visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Group 4 delegation led by Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, en route to Sierra Leone, stopped over in Lome, Togo. During the transit, they held discussions on Pakistan-based terrorism and Operation Sindoor at the airport lounge.

BJP's Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra told ANI that the delegation underscored India's need for Operation Sindoor and recounted the conversations they had about Pakistan during their visit.

'We are telling them why we had to conduct Operation Sindoor and about Pakistan's terrorism. But it is a good experience to know about the people of Africa, their culture, and language. They are good people and this is a really good experience. The conversations we had with their diplomats, heads of states, and ministers regarding Pakistan, they heard us with concentration. They had come prepared on the subject matter. They were curious to know why our relations with Pakistan are deteriorating, they knew that Pakistan is a terrorist country but when we made things clear, they heard us well. Their response was good, that they would raise this issue in the UNSC and the African Union. We felt that they would raise this issue in their National Assembly and bring a resolution.'

During their visit, BJP leader SS Ahluwalia added that the delegation received much support for India's stand on terrorism and said that the African countries assured us of their support in our fight against terrorism.

'The support we received here exceeded our expectations. I think these people were already with India. So, after meeting our delegation, they received a lot of information. They have tremendous curiosity. They received proper answers for the same. All their questions were answered. They had some ideas regarding Pakistan, but after our briefing those ideas became clearer and they felt that Pakistan is really a huge threat for democracies and democratically-elected governments. So, some measures have to be taken to deal with this. Both countries assured us that they would raise this issue on an international level and their level and help India strongly.'

Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 as a decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack by Pak-sponsored terrorists, in which 26 people were brutally killed. The Indian armed forces targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the elimination of over 100 terrorists affiliated with groups including Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.

The Indian parliamentary delegation, led by Shinde, is touring key African nations to strengthen India's strategic and diplomatic relations and to build global consensus against terrorism. (ANI)