'Pakistan issued frustrated press release ...': Salman Khurshid on Malaysia snubbing Islamabad's efforts to derail Op Sindoor team

Salman Khurshid

Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Thursday said the objective of the Operation Sindoor delegation teams has been “substantially achieved”.

Referring to Islamabad's alleged attempts to derail the Indian delegation's visit to Malaysia, Khurshid told NDTV that Pakistan issued a frustrated press release after the Indian delegation’s three-day visit to Malaysia.

"While some questions were raised by Malaysia, given its strong membership in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), we received a firm letter of support from the Prime Minister of Malaysia. We saw no indication of any hesitation in backing India," he said.

The Pakistani embassy reportedly urged Malaysian officials to cancel the Indian delegation's programmes, citing Islamic solidarity. It also raised the Kashmir issue. However, Malaysian authorities refused to be swayed, and all of the delegation’s programmes went ahead as planned.

Apart from Khurshid, the concerned delegation comprised BJP MPs Aparajita Sarangi, Brij Lal, Pradan Baruah and Hemang Joshi, Trinamool's Abhishek Banerjee, CPM's John Brittas, Congress's Salman Khurshid and former diplomat Mohan Kumar. It was led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha.

Following Operation Sindoor, the Centre sent seven all-party delegations to various countries to expose Pakistan’s ongoing complicity in cross-border terrorism. Operation Sindoor was launched after the 22 April Pahalgam attack that killed 26 lives.

Meanwhile, his recent remarks on Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir stirred a controversy in his own party.

"I want to send a message to those who don't understand what patriotism means. To me, patriotism to the country and to the party are the same," the former External Affairs Minister told NDTV.

Speaking during a diplomatic visit to Indonesia, Khurshid addressed members of Indonesian think tanks and academia as part of an all-party Indian parliamentary delegation.

"Kashmir had a major problem for a long time. Much of that was reflected in the thinking of the government in an article called 370 of the Constitution, which somehow gave an impression that it was separate from the rest of the country. But Article 370 was abrogated, and it was finally put to an end," Khurshid said.

Khurshid had earlier described Article 370 as a bond that linked India to Jammu and Kashmir. “The Article paved the way for J&K to remain within India. The state was not just the land or its people. It was an idea, within the idea of India,” he had said in 2019.