The delegation held high-level meetings with UAE leaders and media representatives to highlight the significance of Operation Sindoor and reaffirm India’s firm stance against cross-border terrorism.
In a strong show of solidarity, the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday assured India of unwavering support in combating terrorism. “India and UAE will tackle terrorism together. The UAE will always stand by India,” said His Highness Sheikh Nahyan Mabarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Co-Existence, during a meeting with an all-party Indian parliamentary delegation in Abu Dhabi.
The UAE is the first stop of a four-nation diplomatic outreach led by Shiv Sena MP Dr Shrikant Eknath Shinde. The delegation held high-level meetings with UAE leaders and media representatives to highlight the significance of Operation Sindoor and reaffirm India’s firm stance against cross-border terrorism.
The outreach follows the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack, which the UAE was among the first to categorically condemn. UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan had personally conveyed their condolences to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
Indian anti-terror delegation in UAE.
Delegation includes key political figures
The Indian delegation included MPs and leaders from across the political spectrum: Ms. Bansuri Swaraj, Shri ET Mohmd Basheer, Shri Atul Garg, Shri Sasmit Patra, Shri Manan Kumar Mishra, Shri Surendrajeet Singh Ahluwalia, and former Ambassador Shri Sujan Chinoy.
In their meeting with HH Sheikh Nahyan, the delegation detailed Pakistan’s role in fostering cross-border terrorism and attempts to create social unrest in India. The UAE leader’s assurance of partnership in combating such threats marked a significant diplomatic moment in regional counter-terrorism collaboration.
Strategic, media and diaspora engagements
The delegation also held discussions with HE Dr Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the Defence, Interior & Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federal National Council, and other senior Emirati parliamentarians. They underlined that Operation Sindoor was a precise and non-escalatory response to the attack on tourists in Kashmir. Dr Nuaimi echoed this view, stating, “India-UAE relationship is beyond trade and culture, and encompasses security and strategic issues. Terrorism is against the whole of humanity and the international community must act now.”
Further, in a meeting with Dr. Jamal Al Kaabi, Director General of the National Media Office, the delegation addressed concerns regarding misinformation campaigns from Pakistan and presented factual counter-evidence to expose propaganda networks.
Indian anti-terror delegation in UAE.
India’s fight against terrorism highlighted in UAE media
Shinde, leader of the Indian delegation, also gave an interview to The National, a prominent UAE daily, where he outlined India’s prolonged fight against cross-border terrorism and the decisive shift marked by Operation Sindoor.
The day concluded with a community interaction, where the delegation lauded the contributions of the Indian diaspora in the UAE. They commended the diaspora for embodying the values of tolerance, unity, and resistance to divisive efforts targeting India’s social fabric.
On May 23, the delegation is set to participate in closed-door strategic dialogues with think tanks and thought leaders in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.