Singapore supports India’s zero-tolerance terror policy during delegation’s visit to the city-state

Published on Authored by Press Trust of India

Singapore strongly condemns all acts of terrorism and stands with India against the menace, a senior minister of the city-state told an all-party Indian parliamentary delegation on Tuesday, May 27.

All-party delegation Singapore
India’s all-party delegation to Singapore, accompanied by High Commissioner Dr. Shilpak Ambule. Photo courtesy: x.com/HCI_Singapore

The delegation, led by JD(U) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, which arrived here from South Korea, met Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs Sim Ann and briefed her on India’s stance on the events since the terror attack in Pahalgam, Operation Sindoor, and the new normal in India’s strategy against terrorism.

Sim conveyed that Singapore strongly condemns all acts of terrorism and stands with India against terrorism, the High Commission of India in Singapore said in a statement.

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She also said that Singapore and India are close partners and will continue efforts to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, it added.

The all-party delegation conveyed that if there is a terrorist attack on India, New Delhi will give a fitting reply.

“India will not tolerate any nuclear blackmail. India will strike precisely and decisively at the terrorist hideouts developing under the cover of nuclear blackmail. India will not differentiate between the government sponsoring terrorism and the masterminds of terrorism,” it said.

The delegation members requested Singapore’s support in the fight against terrorism, particularly at multilateral fora like the UN and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog, the Indian mission said in the statement.

As close friends and partners, India and Singapore will continue to work closely on regional and global issues, including terrorism, it said.

Jha highlighted that the delegation brings representatives of different political parties together to convey India’s united resolve against terrorism.

The delegation members conveyed that the terrorist attack in Pahalgam was an attempt to disturb the trajectory of peace, development, and normalcy in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the statement said.

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The Government of India deemed it essential that the perpetrators and planners of the April 22 terror attack be brought to justice. In response to this heinous act of terror, India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting the terrorist infrastructure. India’s response was measured, non-escalatory, proportionate, and responsible, it said.

The delegation also called on Minister of Law and Second Minister of Home Affairs Edwin Tong.

In a post on X, Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, who is a part of the delegation, said, “Our fight against terrorism continues to resonate strongly across the world. Our engagements in Singapore commenced with a comprehensive briefing by the Indian High Commissioner, offering valuable context for the discussions ahead.”

He said the delagtion in the meeting with Sim expressed India’s zero-tolerance policy against terrorism.

He appreciate the presence and support of Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary and Members of Parliament Vikram Nair and Saktiandi Supaat during the discussions.

In the meetings with Singaporean interlocutors from the government, academia, think tanks, media, and business, the delegation “underlined the new normal in India’s policy on counterterrorism: PRECISE, RESPONSIBLE, and UNFLINCHING,” the TMC leader wrote. He said the delegation had an “insightful” meeting with Tong. “We deeply valued our interactions with the Indian community in Singapore – a reflection of the shared resilience, unity and unwavering solidarity of our diaspora in the face of terrorism,” he said.

“Terrorism respects no borders, and the fight against it must unite us all. India stands firm in its MORAL and STRATEGIC CLARITY: those who perpetrate, support, or justify terrorism will be HELD TO ACCOUNT,” the parliamentarian wrote.

Later, addressing a press conference, delegation member Mohan Kumar, a former ambassador to France and Bahrain, said that the all-party delegation that visited Japan, South Korea, and Singapore told these countries that at no time the conflict between India and Pakistan was going into nuclear.

“There was never a minute we thought that the conflict might go nuclear,” he said.

Dismissing narratives that the potential use of nuclear weapons in the conflict had worried investors, Kumar reiterated India’s commitment to economic development.

“We will not let any incident like this (conflict) affect India’s progress and become a USD10 trillion economy,” he said.

The delegation also met with senior representatives from the Singaporean government, academia, media, and business.

Delegation members briefed Singaporean interlocutors on the developments since the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s new normal in combating terrorism.

“We appreciate the presence of Senior Minister of State Mr Janil Puthucheary and Members of Parliament Mr Vikram Nair and Mr Saktiandi Supaat,” the mission posted on X.

The delegation interacted with scholars and academics from Singaporean universities and think-tanks at a closed-door session organised in association with the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore.

They briefed the participants on the issue of cross-border terrorism, context and background of Operation Sindoor and India’s resolute policy of combating terrorism.

The delegation also interacted with the Singaporean media and briefed them about the purpose of their visit, meetings with Singaporean interlocutors and new normal in India’s resolve to fight terrorism post Operation Sindoor.

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.