Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma has welcomed the Centre’s decision to send all-party MP delegations abroad to explain India’s stance on cross border terrorism following Operation Sindoor. This move follows the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which targeted tourists in Jammu and Kashmir.

Calling it an “important initiative”, Sharma said it is necessary to sensitise global public opinion about Pakistan’s military involvement in terrorism. He joins Shashi Tharoor as the second Congress leader to endorse the outreach, despite Congress earlier labelling it a “diversionary tactic.”

Sharma, chosen to visit South Africa, Egypt, Qatar, and Ethiopia, said India’s calibrated retaliation was measured and justified. He also recalled similar diplomatic missions led by Manmohan Singh, Rajiv Gandhi, and PV Narasimha Rao after earlier terror incidents.

Notably, Sharma was the only pick from Congress’s official nominations. Tharoor, Manish Tewari, and others were included by the Centre independently.