External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday said “unlike in the past we cannot agree that dialogue with sponsor and supporters of terrorism should carry on without being linked to action in that regard”, in an apparent reference to Pakistan.
Speaking on the occasion of the launch of the book “The Modi Doctrine: New Paradigms in India’s Foreign Policy” edited by Dr Anirban Ganguly, Dr Vijay Chauthaiwale and Dr Uttam Kumar Sinha and brought out in association with Delhi-based Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation, Sushma said, “Threat of terrorism dominates global concerns today. It is an issue which has confronted Indian diplomacy for many years because of its cross border manifestation.
“Unlike in the past we cannot agree that dialogue with sponsor and supporters of terrorism should carry on without being linked to action in that regard. At the international level we are also putting the spotlight on early conclusion of a comprehensive convention on international terrorism,” Sushma said.
Britain’s Indian-origin Minister for International Development Priti Patel was also present on the occasion.
Sushma said reaching out to Indians in distress abroad was “never a priority” for the External Affairs Ministry before. “India today sets the global agenda as opposed to before when it used to be a mute spectator on global issues. Today when India speaks the world listens. Secondly, when PM addresses the diaspora, people back home feel proud that bharat mata ki jai and Vande Mataram are chanted in a foreign land.
“Today Indians in distress abroad feel that the Government back home cares for them. This has raised their courage. This is another paradigm shift. The PM has himself said this Ministry was about having fancy dinners wearing suit and boot. But today our embassies remain on their toes,” Sushma said.
“Perhaps people will now understand why “Sushma responds 24X7 to Indians in distress abroad”, she said, in an apparent reference to her active reach out on the social media.
India’s inter-faith practices and resistance to radicalisation has a message for the world, she said.