Berlin [Germany], June 8 (ANI): Former Union Minister MJ Akbar, who is part of the all-party delegation led by BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, highlighted India's firm stand against terrorism, saying, 'An invading army at the border will not be stopped by eloquence. It will be stopped by military force'. Akbar is currently in Berlin as part of India's diplomatic outreach to explain the country's zero-tolerance policy on terrorism.

Adressing the Indian diaspora in Germany, Akbar emphasised the unity and power of the nation that has enabled it to defeat terrorism not just within its borders but globally.

'That is the unity, that is the power today, which has defeated the terrorist state of Pakistan not only in Kashmir, not only in Punjab, not only in Rajasthan, but in every frontier across the world. We are ending our mission, this phase of our mission, your mission is only beginning. Please remember that,' Akbar stated.

Akbar also praised India's economic growth, citing the World Bank's report, which shows that the number of people living in extreme poverty in India has dropped below 5 per cent.

'We have not only become the fourth largest economy in the world, but last night the World Bank released that those living in hardship poverty in India are less than 5 per cent now. That is the economic growth we want,' he said.

Addressing the issue of terrorism, Akbar stressed that military force is necessary to counter invading armies and terrorists. 'An invading army at the border will not be stopped by eloquence. It will be stopped by military force,' he said.

'And that military force has been exhibited and evident to the world since the first attack of October 5 1947. Since then, when 5,000 terrorists came. Till today, thousands of terrorists are coming till today they are being defeated,' he added.

Akbar also warned about the global threat of terrorism in the name of religion. 'There will come a time in this century when the world will realise that the challenge before the world is the challenge of terrorism in the name of religion,' he stated.

'Humanity and peace are really what religion teaches, not faith. And a state which encourages or which feeds, breeds and perpetrates violence of the most barbaric and brutal kind in the name of religion doesn't belong to this century,' he added.

Meanwhile, BJP MP Samik Bhattacharya said while addressing the Indian diaspora, 'We want Akhand Bharat. PoK was ours. If not today, then tomorrow it will come back to us.'

At the start of the community event, the Indian diaspora observed a two-minute silence to pay tributes to people who lost their lives in the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

The delegation is currently in Berlin. During their visit, the delegation met with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and several members of the German Parliament (Bundestag).

The delegation, led by Ravi Shankar Prasad, includes BJP MPs Daggubati Purandeswari, MJ Akbar, Gulam Ali Khatana, and Samik Bhattacharya; Congress MP Amar Singh, Priyanka Chaturvedi from Shiv Sena (UBT), AIADMK MP M Thambidurai and former diplomat Pankaj Saran.

The delegation arrived in Germany after concluding their visit to Belgium. Earlier, Ravi Shankar Prasad said they raised strong concerns about terrorism during their visit to Brussels and generals of Pakistan 'run that country with the help of a military terrorist coalition', which is a 'threat' to democracy and humanity.

The Indian Armed Forces carried out targeted strikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of over 100 terrorists.

India repelled subsequent Pakistani aggression and pounded its airbases. (ANI)