“Parliament Delegation led by Dr Shashi Tharoor met President (Speaker) of the National Assembly, Dana Castaneda. President Castaneda extended full support to India for its fight against terrorism,” the Embassy of India in Panama, Nicaragua and Costa Rica said in a post on X.
In a post on X, Tharoor said the delegation called on Castaneda, who was accompanied by senior members of Parliament Edwin Vergara and Julio de la Guardia, and “explained our mission to her and received strong assurances of understanding and support for India’s war against terror”.
During the meeting on Tuesday, the Congress MP presented the National Assembly President with a Kashmiri shawl, and she reciprocated with a warrior symbol.
“After I presented her with a Kashmiri shawl, from the place where terror had struck, the President reciprocated with a warrior symbol, urging India to fight on with determination. Greeted her colleague Kathy Bhikhu, who was born in Gujarat!,” Tharoor said.
Earlier, Tharoor signed the visitors’ book and visited the main hall of the National Assembly. “A positive start to our Panama visit,” he posted on X along with some photographs of the event.
The multi-party MPs’ delegation also visited the Indian Cultural Centre in Panama City and offered devotions at the temple there.
“It was moving to see our Muslim colleague Sarfraz Ahmed join his Hindu and Sikh colleagues at the temple. As he later told the audience, ‘jab bulane walon ko koi aitraaz nahin, toh jaane walo ko aitraaz kyon hoga’?” Tharoor posted on X.
He also addressed members of the Indian community in Panama.
“A memorable evening with a 300-strong audience from the Indian community in Panama (mainly Gujaratis and Sindhis, with a sprinkling of others). I addressed the gathering on our mission and invited my colleagues to join in — four of them did, mainly in Hindi, to much applause,” Tharoor said.
Besides Tharoor, the delegation comprises Sarfraz Ahmad (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), G M Harish Balayogi (Telugu Desam Party), Shashank Mani Tripathi (BJP), Bhubaneswar Kalita (BJP), Milind Deora (Shiv Sena), Tejasvi Surya (BJP), and former ambassador of India to US Taranjit Singh Sandhu.
The delegation arrived here from Guyana, where it met top leadership, including President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, who presented the delegation with a beautiful painting by a young and talented Guyanese artist of Amerindian descent- Dillon Craig.
“The Harpy Eagle depicts vigilance and precision. Accurate, sharp and unrelenting. It chooses its target carefully and once selected, the target has no way to escape from its powerful claws,” the High Commission of India in Guyana posted on X on Wednesday.
“India’s Operation Sindoor was accurate and precise targeted at those terrorists who were supported and sheltered in Pakistan. It is a strong message that India will not spare its enemy-anyone who endangers its unity and harmony,” it said.
“India’s attack will be precise and accurate. The enemy cannot escape the claws of justice. Anyone who perpetrates such heinous attack against India’s unity and sovereignty will be brought to justice. This is the new normal. There is #ZeroToleranceForTerrorism,” it added.
President Ali underscored that the India-Guyana partnership is not just about friendship and cordial relations it is about the bonds of blood shared over generations.
He assured the Indian delegation of Guyana’s unwavering support in India’s fight against terrorism and underlined that there is no place for terrorism and extremism in the civilized world and such actions deserve a befitting response.
Thereafter, the delegation interacted with a high-level delegation comprising Guyana’s Foreign Minister Hugh Hilton Todd, National Security Advisor, Chief of Defence Staff, Commissioner of Police and other senior delegates from Guyana’s national security establishment.
“Both sides noted with appreciation the recent initiatives in the field of security and defence cooperation and emphasised the need to further strengthen the ongoing engagement, especially after the historic visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to Guyana in November 2024,” the Indian mission said.
In a reception hosted by the High Commissioner of India to Guyana, the friends of India in Guyana conveyed a resounding message of unwavering support from the Indian community and vowed to stand with India in its fight against terrorism.
They appreciated India’s unity and resolve across the entire political spectrum displayed by the visit of the all-party parliamentary delegation.
The delegation also visited the Monument Garden and paid tribute at the Indian Arrival Monument. They also interacted with the members of the Indian Commemoration Trust and explained about their Mission to Guyana to convey India’s message of friendship as well as India’s firm resolve to stand united and take decisive action to eradicate terrorism. PTI SCY ZH ZH
