Algiers [Algeria], June 1 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Baijayant Panda, during his official visit to Algeria, emphasised the strong and long-standing ties between India and Algeria, particularly highlighting their shared experiences in combating terrorism. In the wake of the tragic Pahalgam terror attack, Panda shared that prayers were held in Algeria for the victims, underlining the solidarity between the two nations.

Speaking to ANI, Panda said, 'Algeria is known as a champion of counter-terrorism. The African Union has taken many steps, and so also in the United Nations Security Council and in other formats as well. Now, India and Algeria have a long relationship because even during its freedom struggle, Algeria got a lot of moral and other support from India'.

He noted that both countries have been victims of terrorism. 'Both countries have faced terror attacks. Algeria has, in fact, had terror attacks by these Salafist jihadis who were trained in Pakistan. So we have that commonality as well. And then Algeria had this decade called the Black Decade of 1990 to 2000, where it had a very, very terrible time with multiple terror attacks. So they certainly understand where we are coming from, and they have given unequivocal statements condemning the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which killed innocent Indians,' he said.

Panda also spoke about ongoing meetings in Algeria aimed at reinforcing the principle of zero tolerance towards terrorism.

He said, 'This (terrorism) is an issue that not only resonates with Algeria, but like I said, they have taken concrete steps on this on many occasions and so we are very confident that we will make good progress in the discussions here with Algeria to take a stand that in this era of zero tolerance for terrorism, Pakistan simply cannot be allowed to have terrorist training camps openly flouting United Nations Security Council prescriptions because Algeria is a member of the Security Council today. So that is something that we are going to be pursuing. We are also going to be taking up other issues about how terrorism can be rooted out from Pakistani soil that hit India and others.'

Sharing details of the places which were visited by the Indian delegation in Algeria, Panda said, 'We had gone to the National Museum and Martyrs' Memorial here in Algiers and saw the depiction of the struggle that the Algerian people had against colonialism. This is something that they share very much with India's experience and also the fight that they have had against terrorism. We were humbled by that experience, seeing the great many sacrifices that the Algerian people had made and we commented accordingly in the Visitor's book.'

Significantly, he noted, 'We had gone to The Basilica of Notre Dame, which is a large church built 200 years ago on top of a mountain facing the sea. Immediately after the Pahalgam attacks on 22nd April, a service was held there praying for the victims of the terror attack. We had also gone there and we lit candles...'

'We received a lot of sympathy from the people. It is very clear that when it comes to our discussions with Algeria, we are on the same page', BJP MP Baijayant Panda said.

The Group 1 delegation, led by Baijayant Panda, Member of Parliament and former Minister, includes senior parliamentarians and officials such as Dr. Nishikant Dubey, S. Phangnon Konyak, Rekha Sharma, Asaduddin Owaisi, Satnam Singh Sandhu, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and former Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla.

India has sent several all-party delegations to showcase India's resolve against terrorism and garner international support for a united stand against this global threat. The Indian government's diplomatic outreach efforts aim to strengthen partnerships with countries in East and Southeast Asia, emphasising the need for a collective response to the threat of terrorism.

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in a decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed.

Indian armed forces targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the death of over 100 terrorists affiliated with terror outfits like the Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.

After the attack, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling across the Line of Control and Jammu and Kashmir as well as attempted drone attacks along the border regions, following which India launched a coordinated attack and damaged radar infrastructure, communication centres and airfields across 11 airbases in Pakistan.

After this, on May 10, an understanding regarding the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan was announced. (ANI)