Tharoor Defends India’s Right to Self-Defense, Slams Pakistan and China’s Role in Terror Support
Congress leader and senior member of the all-party delegation, Shashi Tharoor, expressed disappointment over Colombia’s expression of sympathy for those killed in India’s retaliatory strike on Pakistan on May 7. Speaking on Thursday (local time), Tharoor emphasized that there can be no moral equivalence between attackers and defenders.
Leading a multi-party delegation across five countries, Tharoor stated that India was merely exercising its right to self-defense. From Colombia, he addressed the issue of India’s counter-terror strike and presented photos of Pakistani military officials attending the funerals of slain terrorists. “If there is any misunderstanding, we are here to clear it,” he said.
Pakistan Sheltering Terrorists
Tharoor pointed out that Pakistan continues to provide safe havens for terrorists. “A highly publicized funeral was held for a terrorist listed as banned. Uniformed Pakistani military and police officials attended this funeral. This illustrates the deep collusion between those who commit terrorist acts and those who fund, guide, arm, and protect them. This is the limit of complicity,” Tharoor said.
India Struck Back After April 22 Terror Attack
Tharoor recalled the brutal terrorist attack on India on April 22, which prompted the counter-strike. “The world condemned the attack, but beyond that, no action was taken—not even by the country from where the terrorists came, which is Pakistan. No one was arrested, no prosecution was initiated. India decided that such an outrage cannot go unpunished.”
China’s Role in Arming Pakistan
On China’s support to Pakistan, Tharoor stated, “We are well aware that China supplies 81% of Pakistan’s defense equipment. ‘Defense’ is a polite term—most of this weaponry is offensive in nature.” He noted that while sovereign nations have the right to trade and collaborate, India’s objection is not to economic development but to the export of terror.
He also commented on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the largest project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative. “It links China to a port in southwestern Pakistan and allows quick and cost-effective movement of goods. We understand its strategic purpose, and our concern is not with Pakistan’s development, but with the spread of terrorism from its soil,” Tharoor said.
No Third-Party Mediation in India-Pakistan Tensions
Responding to rumors of international mediation, Tharoor rejected the idea that a third-party was involved in talks between India and Pakistan. “We received calls from senior officials in the U.S., France, UAE, and Saudi Arabia. Our message was clear: we are not interested in war. We were retaliating against a terror attack. If the attacks stop, we stop.”
He added, “There was no formal mediation process that we are aware of. Certainly, India was not involved in any such talks. We did not initiate the conflict on May 7. India is not the aggressor in this equation.”
Mission to Expose Pakistan’s Global Terror Links
Tharoor is currently leading a multiparty delegation to Guyana, Panama, Colombia, Brazil, and the U.S. The mission’s objective is to highlight Pakistan’s ties to global terrorism, including its alleged connections to the 9/11 attacks, and to assert that the current conflict stems from the Pahalgam terrorist attack, not from India’s retaliatory Operation Sindoor.
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