In a rare and heartening interlude during India’s diplomatic outreach in Washington DC, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor found himself responding to a question from an unexpected quarter — his own son, Ishan Tharoor. The senior Tharoor, part of an all-party delegation tasked with presenting India’s case following the Pahalgam terror attack and subsequent Operation Sindoor, looked momentarily taken aback but amused as Ishan took the microphone.
Introducing himself with a light-hearted remark — “asking in a personal capacity and mostly to say hi before you go off for your next engagement” — the younger Tharoor then posed a sharp, topical question on whether any nation had demanded evidence of Pakistan’s involvement in the April 22 assault, in light of Islamabad’s familiar denials.
Responding without hesitation, Tharoor insisted that India’s retaliatory stance was based on irrefutable evidence. “I'm very glad you raised this. I didn't plant it, I promise you,” he remarked with a smile, before adding, “Very simply, no one had any doubt, and we were not asked for evidence. But the media have asked in two or three places. Let me say very clearly that India would not have done this without convincing evidence.
Tharoor’s comments come weeks after India reportedly carried out precise counter-terror operations targeting infrastructure across the Line of Control. The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadowy offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, had claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam killings hours after the attack, sparking fresh scrutiny of Pakistan’s role in fostering proxy outfits.
Also read: Shashi Tharoor-led all-party delegation meets US VP JD Vance
‘Three reasons’ India knows
Tharoor, who once served as Minister of State for External Affairs, outlined what he called “three particular reasons” that left little room for ambiguity about Pakistan’s role.
First, he cited a 37-year “pattern of repeated terror attacks from Pakistan, accompanied by repeated denials.” He reminded the audience that “Americans haven’t forgotten that Pakistan didn’t know, allegedly, where Osama bin Laden was until he was found in a Pakistani safe house right next to an army camp in a cantonment city.”
“That’s Pakistan,” Tharoor said flatly.
Turning to the second reason, Tharoor invoked the 2008 Mumbai attacks, saying, “They denied having anything to do with it. One of the terrorists was captured alive. His name, his identity, and his address were in Pakistan. Everything was revealed under interrogation. He told us where he was trained and what was done.”
Tharoor pointed to recordings of the Pakistani handler issuing minute-by-minute instructions to the attackers — intercepted, he said, by both Indian and American intelligence. “We know what Pakistan is all about. They will dispatch terrorists. They will deny everything. That’s how it goes,” he added.
The third reason, Tharoor said, was the speed with which the Resistance Front had claimed the Pahalgam attack. “There was no effort to disguise it. The weapons, the tactics, the intelligence behind the attack — it bore all the signatures of a cross-border planned assault.”
‘We know how this game is played’
Tharoor also addressed Pakistan’s strategy of immediate denial. “They’ll say, ‘Oh no, this is an indigenous group,’ or ‘We don’t even control this organisation,’” he said. “But that is exactly what they want — plausible deniability while sustaining the infrastructure of terror.”
He emphasised that New Delhi had presented the relevant evidence to the United Nations, even if friendly countries had not formally requested it. “Let me be very clear. India has not asked the world to take our word for it. We have shared what we know with those who matter,” he said.
When asked whether the delegation’s meetings in Washington had touched on this subject, Tharoor said, “Not only has the American side acknowledged our concerns, but there is also a growing understanding globally that the machinery of terror that runs from across the border needs to be dismantled — not just contained.”
Tharoor’s remarks drew praise from some members of the Indian-American community in attendance, one of whom later said, “It was refreshing to see someone from Indian politics respond to difficult questions with clarity — even when the question came from his own son.”
Generational exchange
Ishan Tharoor, a columnist with The Washington Post, appeared unfazed by his father's elaborate reply. “It's good to see our leaders engaging with the facts on record. These attacks cost lives. We owe it to the public to demand clarity,” he said afterwards.
The interaction offered a rare public moment where diplomacy, family and political accountability intersected — drawing headlines both for the sharpness of the question and the conviction of the answer.
Here is the full video:
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