‘Pakistanis came to India to create problem’: Ethiopian Ambassador on Pahalgam terror attack

NEW DELHI: Ethiopian Ambassador to India, Fesseha Shawel Gebre, strongly condemned the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, squarely blaming Pakistan for orchestrating the violence that killed 26 civilians, while appreciating India’s response on the matter.

The Ambassador praised India’s “responsible” response and highlighted the shared fight against terrorism between Ethiopia and India, noting that a delegation from India is expected to visit Ethiopia by the end of May to brief on the attack.

“Ethiopia has condemned the terrorist act. India has responded very responsibly and did not escalate… It is not Indians who went to Pakistan to create a problem; it is the Pakistanis who came to India to create a problem. They were identifying people with religion. This is terrible… This is unacceptable… Like India, Ethiopia is also fighting terrorism in East Africa… We are also getting a delegation from India at the end of May”, Ambassador Gebre stated.

#WATCH | Delhi: On the Harit Yoga program in Ethiopian Embassy, Ambassador of Ethiopia to India, Fesseha Shawel Gebre says, “In Ethiopia, there are no Hindus, there are Christians and Muslims in equal numbers, but they still practice yoga… They even meditate and pray and do… pic.twitter.com/VF1C0yquyZ

— ANI (@ANI) May 20, 2025

The April 22 terror attack, executed by Pakistan-backed terrorists, prompted India to launch ‘Operation Sindoor’ on May 7, targeting nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Indian Armed Forces also effectively responded to subsequent Pakistani aggression. Following a call by Pakistan’s DGMO to his Indian counterpart, the countries have reached an understanding on stopping military action.

A seven-party delegation will visit key partner countries, including members of the UN Security Council, in the context of Operation Sindoor and India’s continued fight against cross-border terrorism. The delegations are led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad and Baijayant Panda, JD-U’s Sanjay Kumar Jha, DMK’s Kanimozhi Karunanidhi and (NCP-SP) leader Supriya Sule.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Gebre also celebrated yoga’s global appeal, drawing parallels between India’s contribution to yoga and Ethiopia’s gift of coffee to the world.

Speaking about the Harit Yoga programme at the Ethiopian Embassy, Gebre said, “In Ethiopia, we don’t have Hindus; we are Christians and Muslims in equal numbers, but they still do yoga… They are not Hindus, but they still cross their legs, meditate, pray and do rituals, so it is beyond one religion… If you go anywhere in the world and mention the word ‘yoga’, people do know what yoga is… It is like yourself, your body, and your spirit coming together and listening to your inner self.”

“Just like India has given yoga to the world, Ethiopia has given coffee… We will promote yoga and coffee together… India is good because it cares for humans, animals, birds, and plants. We need to take a lesson from India,” he added.

According to the Ministry of AYUSH, Harit Yoga is a sustainability-driven initiative combining Yoga with tree planting and clean-up drives. (ANI)