Union Minister Hardeep Puri on Monday called on the international community to close down funding channels to terrorists and to unitedly combat the global menace as he paid tributes to the victims of the Air India Flight 182 Kanishka bombing on its 40th anniversary.
Puri also urged for deeper collaboration between India and Canada through intelligence sharing, counter-radicalisation efforts, and the disruption of terror financing as he described the Kanishka explosion as "one of the worst and most dastardly acts of aviation terror."
The Montreal-London-New Delhi Air India 'Kanishka' Flight 182 exploded 45 minutes before it was supposed to land at UK's Heathrow Airport on June 23, 1985 due to a bomb planted by Canada-based terrorists, killing all 329 people on board, including over 80 children, most of them Canadians of Indian descent.
The Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas was joined by Irish Prime Minister Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Canada's Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree to pay tributes to the Kanishka victims at the Ahakista Memorial in County Cork, about 260 kilometres southwest from here.
Speaking at the commemoration of the 40th anniversary, Puri thanked the "wonderful community of Ahakista and the people of Ireland," who he said, rose to the occasion when the accident happened 40 years ago.
"Irrespective of the differences in ideologies and political differences, we need to be vigilant about terrorism and united in combating the menace," he said on X.
Asserting that time has come to close off the funding channels of terrorists and separatists mindsets, so that there is no scope for extremism, Puri said in another post on X, "We need to double our efforts to ensure that what happened on June 23, 1985 is not repeated anywhere in the world in future."
He said the tragedy was not an accident but a "deliberate, heinous act carried out by fringe elements seeking to divide India."
Puri called on the international community to unite against terrorism as he said, "The world needs to come together - not only in isolated episodes of solemn mourning such as these, but in collective, proactive efforts to combat terrorism."
The minister further stressed that terrorism and extremism are not issues of the past but present-day threats that continue to endanger innocent lives across the world, according to a statement by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
"India has suffered the scourge of terrorism for decades - from Jammu & Kashmir to Punjab to Mumbai. Time and again, our people have endured bombings, assassinations, and atrocities," he said.
"The world has seen the inhuman cruelty perpetrated against our citizens in Pahalgam by terrorists nurtured by networks operating in our infested and volatile neighbourhood. The world would also have seen how an undaunted India undertook Operation Sindoor to take out the terror infrastructure and its masterminds with a non escalatory approach," Singh said in a post on X, referring to the April 26 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives.
"While the Khalistani extremist ideology has failed in its misguided mission to tear India apart, we recognise that these dangerous ideologies have not disappeared entirely. Today, they persist in some diaspora circles and continue to provoke hate and division," he added.
The minister further noted that countries across the world are grappling with this problem and highlighted that global terrorism-related deaths increased by 22 per cent in 2024, the statement added.
Calling upon the Government of Canada to join India in countering this shared threat, Puri said, "Canada is a valued partner and friend. We share vibrant cultural and economic relations with each other. India and Canada are bound by democratic traditions."
He urged for deeper collaboration between the two nations through intelligence sharing, counter-radicalisation efforts, and the disruption of terror financing.
"India stands ready to do more. Our security agencies, intelligence apparatus, and diplomatic channels are fully committed to partnering with the world to ensure that such tragedies are never repeated," he added.
Earlier, Puri also acknowledged and thanked the people of Ahakista and the Irish government for their compassion in the aftermath of the 1985 tragedy. "They opened their homes and hearts to grieving families-an act of humanity that continues to inspire."
He further noted that the unique friendship forged between India and Ireland in the wake of the disaster has blossomed into strong bilateral ties, with trade reaching nearly USD 16 billion in 2023, the statement said.
"It was a privilege to attend the commemoration to mark 40 years since the Air India disaster in West Cork. 329 innocent people lost their lives over the skies of Ireland that morning, and the passing of time does not dim the scale of loss and of this atrocity," Micheal Martin said in a post on X.
According to The Air India Flight 182 Archive, maintained by the McMaster University, the Ahakista memorial was unveiled on June 23, 1986, at the first anniversary of the bombing and consists of a garden, a sundial, and a rounded stone wall inscribed with the names of each person who died.
Family members of the passengers and crew of the plane gather every year at various memorials set for the victims.
According to RTE, the Irish public service broadcaster, some 60 relatives of the victims were represented at the annual ceremony on Monday in Ahakista near Bantry, the nearest point on land to the crash site.
"The ceremony at the memorial monument began with a minute's silence at 8.13 am, the exact time the explosion occurred on Air India Flight 182. It was followed by tributes from the families and Hindu and Christian readings," it said in a report.
The members of the delegation that Puri led were leaders from various states including Tarun Chug (Punjab), Dr Narinder Singh (UT of Jammu and Kashmir), Arvinder Singh Lovely (Delhi), Baldev Singh Aulakh ( Uttar Pradesh), Gurveer Singh Brar (Rajasthan) and Sardar Trilok Singh Cheema ( Uttarakhand).
Puri also urged for deeper collaboration between India and Canada through intelligence sharing, counter-radicalisation efforts, and the disruption of terror financing as he described the Kanishka explosion as "one of the worst and most dastardly acts of aviation terror."
The Montreal-London-New Delhi Air India 'Kanishka' Flight 182 exploded 45 minutes before it was supposed to land at UK's Heathrow Airport on June 23, 1985 due to a bomb planted by Canada-based terrorists, killing all 329 people on board, including over 80 children, most of them Canadians of Indian descent.
The Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas was joined by Irish Prime Minister Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Canada's Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree to pay tributes to the Kanishka victims at the Ahakista Memorial in County Cork, about 260 kilometres southwest from here.
Speaking at the commemoration of the 40th anniversary, Puri thanked the "wonderful community of Ahakista and the people of Ireland," who he said, rose to the occasion when the accident happened 40 years ago.
"Irrespective of the differences in ideologies and political differences, we need to be vigilant about terrorism and united in combating the menace," he said on X.
Asserting that time has come to close off the funding channels of terrorists and separatists mindsets, so that there is no scope for extremism, Puri said in another post on X, "We need to double our efforts to ensure that what happened on June 23, 1985 is not repeated anywhere in the world in future."
He said the tragedy was not an accident but a "deliberate, heinous act carried out by fringe elements seeking to divide India."
Puri called on the international community to unite against terrorism as he said, "The world needs to come together - not only in isolated episodes of solemn mourning such as these, but in collective, proactive efforts to combat terrorism."
The minister further stressed that terrorism and extremism are not issues of the past but present-day threats that continue to endanger innocent lives across the world, according to a statement by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
"India has suffered the scourge of terrorism for decades - from Jammu & Kashmir to Punjab to Mumbai. Time and again, our people have endured bombings, assassinations, and atrocities," he said.
"The world has seen the inhuman cruelty perpetrated against our citizens in Pahalgam by terrorists nurtured by networks operating in our infested and volatile neighbourhood. The world would also have seen how an undaunted India undertook Operation Sindoor to take out the terror infrastructure and its masterminds with a non escalatory approach," Singh said in a post on X, referring to the April 26 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives.
"While the Khalistani extremist ideology has failed in its misguided mission to tear India apart, we recognise that these dangerous ideologies have not disappeared entirely. Today, they persist in some diaspora circles and continue to provoke hate and division," he added.
The minister further noted that countries across the world are grappling with this problem and highlighted that global terrorism-related deaths increased by 22 per cent in 2024, the statement added.
Calling upon the Government of Canada to join India in countering this shared threat, Puri said, "Canada is a valued partner and friend. We share vibrant cultural and economic relations with each other. India and Canada are bound by democratic traditions."
He urged for deeper collaboration between the two nations through intelligence sharing, counter-radicalisation efforts, and the disruption of terror financing.
"India stands ready to do more. Our security agencies, intelligence apparatus, and diplomatic channels are fully committed to partnering with the world to ensure that such tragedies are never repeated," he added.
Earlier, Puri also acknowledged and thanked the people of Ahakista and the Irish government for their compassion in the aftermath of the 1985 tragedy. "They opened their homes and hearts to grieving families-an act of humanity that continues to inspire."
He further noted that the unique friendship forged between India and Ireland in the wake of the disaster has blossomed into strong bilateral ties, with trade reaching nearly USD 16 billion in 2023, the statement said.
"It was a privilege to attend the commemoration to mark 40 years since the Air India disaster in West Cork. 329 innocent people lost their lives over the skies of Ireland that morning, and the passing of time does not dim the scale of loss and of this atrocity," Micheal Martin said in a post on X.
According to The Air India Flight 182 Archive, maintained by the McMaster University, the Ahakista memorial was unveiled on June 23, 1986, at the first anniversary of the bombing and consists of a garden, a sundial, and a rounded stone wall inscribed with the names of each person who died.
Family members of the passengers and crew of the plane gather every year at various memorials set for the victims.
According to RTE, the Irish public service broadcaster, some 60 relatives of the victims were represented at the annual ceremony on Monday in Ahakista near Bantry, the nearest point on land to the crash site.
"The ceremony at the memorial monument began with a minute's silence at 8.13 am, the exact time the explosion occurred on Air India Flight 182. It was followed by tributes from the families and Hindu and Christian readings," it said in a report.
The members of the delegation that Puri led were leaders from various states including Tarun Chug (Punjab), Dr Narinder Singh (UT of Jammu and Kashmir), Arvinder Singh Lovely (Delhi), Baldev Singh Aulakh ( Uttar Pradesh), Gurveer Singh Brar (Rajasthan) and Sardar Trilok Singh Cheema ( Uttarakhand).
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