Freetown [Sierra Leone], May 31 (ANI): Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Sierra Leone, P Alghali, on Friday (local time), met with the Indian parliamentary delegation led by Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde and condemned the recent Pahalgam terror attack.

Alghali further reaffirmed that Sierra Leone, a non-permanent member of the Security Council, also expressed concerns regarding the attack in the Security Council statement.

'We have a very vibrant Indian diaspora population in Sierra Leone, and they have contributed a lot to the economy and the relationship with India. So consider yourself at home here. We are aware of the matter between Indian and Pakistan and the recent terrorist attack that happened in April. We condemn the violence and the loss of life of innocent civilians. We want to commiserate with India for that loss. As a non-permanent member of the Security Council, we expressed our concerns regarding the attack in Jammu and Kashmir as part of the Security Council statement that was put out on the 25th of April,' Alghali said.

During the meeting, Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde exposed Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir over his provocative statement before the Pahalgam terror attack and pressed on Pakistan's motive of disturbing the harmony of India.

'If you compare both nations, if you see minorities, non-muslims in Pakistan, their population have drastically reduced. But in India, the minority Muslim population has grown...Seven days before the Pahalgam attack, the Pakistan army chief, Asim Munir, made a statement that Hindus and Muslims cannot stay together in Pakistan. That was the statement made seven days before, and they are still going on with the same statements, so that is also instigating the incident,' Shrikant Shinde said.

Earlier, the Indian delegation led by Shinde also held discussions with Abdulai Caulker, National Security Coordinator of Sierra Leone, and his team in Freetown.

Other members of the delegation include Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs Bansuri Swaraj, Atul Garg, and Manan Kumar Mishra, Indian Union Muslim League's ET Mohammed Basheer, Biju Janata Dal's Sasmit Patra, BJP leader SS Ahluwalia, and former Ambassador Sujan Chinoy. The Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde-led delegation also includes BJP leader SS Ahluwalia and former Ambassador Sujan Chinoy.

The delegation aims to brief international partners on India's response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and its broader fight against cross-border terrorism while engaging with leaders. (ANI)