Senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday expressed dismay over the Colombian government’s response to India’s recent counter-terror operation, describing Bogotá’s condolences to Pakistan as misplaced in the absence of support for the victims of terrorism.
Tharoor, who is currently leading a multi-party parliamentary delegation to five countries, made the remarks while addressing media persons in Colombia. His comments follow India’s launch of Operation Sindoor, a series of targeted strikes in Pakistan following a brutal terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, claimed by The Resistance Front—an affiliate of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.
“We were a little disappointed in the reaction of the Colombian government, which apparently expressed heartfelt condolences on the loss of lives in Pakistan after the Indian strikes, rather than sympathising with the victims of terrorism,” Tharoor told reporters.
Emphasising India’s right to self-defence, the Thiruvananthapuram MP stated, “We will say to our friends in Colombia, there can be no equivalence between those who dispatch terrorists and those who resist them. There can be no equivalence between those who attack and those who defend. We are only exercising our right of self-defence, and if there is any misunderstanding here on this core, we are here to dispel any such misunderstanding. We’re very happy to talk to Colombia in some detail about the circumstances.”
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Tharoor, a former Minister of State for External Affairs, invoked Colombia’s own experiences with terrorism to urge for a more nuanced understanding of India’s response.
“Just as Colombia has endured many terror attacks, so have we in India. We have endured a very large number of attacks for almost four decades,” he said, while underlining that both nations have suffered at the hands of violent non-state actors.
The Congress leader clarified that India is not seeking conflict but understanding and solidarity in its fight against terrorism.
“We are here looking for understanding... We have the impression that perhaps the situation was not fully understood when that one statement (Colombia extending condolences for deaths in Pakistan after Indian strikes on terror hotbeds) was made. Understanding is extremely important for us. We are a country which has really been a force for constructive progress in the world.”
Tharoor also appealed to the international community to raise their voice against safe havens for terror outfits.
“We certainly hope that other governments will tell those who give safe haven and protection to terrorists to stop doing so. That would be very helpful indeed, as well in the Security Council or outside it,” he concluded.
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