In South Korea Abhishek talks of Tagore, connection with the East Asian nation
The Statesman | 27 May 2025
Any support extended to Pakistan is a support to a terror organisation, Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamul Congress MP and party’s national general secretary said today in Seoul.
As a member of the all-party Parliamentary delegation Mr Banerjee took part in a meeting with the minister of 1st vice foreign affairs of South Korea, Kim Hong-Kyun. They discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation and building a united global front against terrorism.
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He said the 22 April terror attack in Pahalgam is no more a matter of India’s national security, it has turned out to be a global imperative now.
“Time and again we have been saying this how Pakistan has been harbouring, shielding and sheltering terrorists in their own land,” he said, adding, over the years India has grown economically while Pakistan is struggling with their own economic crisis, while both the nations got their independence at the same time.
He said: “Breeding a snake in your backyard and expecting it to bite only your neighbour is the last thing one should think of. Once that snake is unleashed it will end up biting whoever it can. A snake remains a snake. So, we need to be very careful and mindful of how Pakistan has been harbouring terrorism and terrorists from 9/11, 26/11 to Uri, Pahalgam – repeatedly one after another terror attacks. Osama Bin Laden was found in Abbottabad, a place in Pakistan. When the airstrikes were carried out by India in Pakistan, it ended up killing 100+ terrorists. And later what we see, the pictures of which are in public domain – high ranking military generals and officers of Pak’s army attending the funeral of those terrorists.”
In an emotional connection with South Korea, Abhishek Banerjee said: I come from a land where we have a special bond with every Koreans living in South Korea. I come from the land of Rabindranath Tagore and his poem ‘The Lamp of the East’ has found special place in text books of school kids here. We come from a land where we are always taught and given a message of peace, harmony, tolerance and humanity. We would be the last one to talk about violence, war.
Later, the MP posted in his X-handle about his engagement throughout the day. “As part of India’s All-Party Parliamentary Delegation, I had the honour of engaging with key stakeholders in the Republic of Korea to further our united message against the GLOBAL THREAT OF TERRORISM.
“Our delegation called on Mr. Yun Ho-jung, Chairperson of the Korea-India Parliamentary Friendship Group and briefed him on India’s PRINCIPLED and UNCOMPROMISING stance on terrorism in the wake of the barbaric Pahalgam attack. We conveyed that India makes no distinction between terrorists and the states that harbour them, and seeks global cooperation to bring perpetrators and enablers to justice.
“We also engaged with eminent scholars and senior representatives from Korea’s leading think tanks, policy groups, and India Studies Centres. The discussions were substantive, delving into India’s MEASURED, PRECISE and NON-ESCALATORY response. I spoke about the MORAL URGENCY of COLLECTIVE GLOBAL ACTION in DISMANTLING TERROR ECOSYSTEMS and how India’s doctrine – guided by RESTRAINT, PRINCIPLE, and RESOLVE – can serve as a template in this regard. I thank our Korean counterparts for their strong show of solidarity and support.
“Our delegation also met the Hon’ble Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mr. Cho Tae-yul (@FMChoTaeyul), where we reiterated India’s enduring commitment to fight terrorism. Terrorism cannot be viewed through selective morality. It is a CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY, and those who justify, shield, or enable it must be held fully accountable.”