Shashi Tharoor led delegation visits US; slams Pakistan for supporting terrorism

New Delhi (India) May 25: As part of Operation Sindoor outreach, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is the head of a legislative delegation.The delegation will represent India's nation-wide agreement and strong commitment in fighting terrorism. During their outreach, they would present to the international world India's firm stand of no tolerance against terrorism.

Tharoor praised India's attacks on terror groups supported by Pakistan at the Indian Consulate in New York. He claimed on Saturday that although Islamabad uses terrorism to try to achieve its strategic objectives, New Delhi has no interest in going to war.

He said, “We are not interested in warfare with Pakistan. We would much rather be left alone to grow our economy and pull our people into the world they are getting ready for in the 21st century. But, the Pakistanis, sadly, we might be a status quo power, but they are not...they covet the territory India controls, and they want to have it at any price. If they can't get it through conventional means, they are willing to get it through terrorism, and that is not acceptable to us.”

Tharoor with an all-party group paid a visit to the 9/11 Memorial site and showed support for the victims of the terrorist assault. He claimed that the delegation's presence serves as a reminder that the US and India have a common concern regarding terrorism.

While speaking about the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir on April 22, which claimed 26 lives, the majority of them tourists Tharoor said, “It was a bunch of people going around identifying the religions of the people before them and killing them on that basis, which was intended to provoke a backlash in the rest of India, since the victims were overwhelmingly Hindu.”

He added that India "hit hard and smart" in its strikes on Pakistan and the terror camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

He said, "I don't work for the government, as you know. I work for an opposition party. I myself authored an op-ed saying the time has come to hit hard but hit smart. I'm pleased to say that's exactly what India did.”

Tharoor said, "Our idea is very much to speak to a cross section of public and political opinion in each of the countries we're going to about recent events which obviously trouble a number of people around the world. The fundamental underlying problem remains and it's important that we try and enlarge your understanding of our thinking and our concern about what's going on." with respect to the purpose of the visit.

Mr Tharoor also added that "India sent a clear message that it was not going to take terror lying down, it would answer, but equally that by delivering very precisely, calculated, calibrated strikes on very specific targets, it was also sending a message that this was not meant to be the opening salvo in a protracted war but just an act of retribution, that we were prepared to stop with that act".

The delegation led by Shashi Tharoor will go to five countries: the US, Panama, Guyana, Brazil, and Colombia. The delegation includes former Indian Ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu, BJP MPs Tejasvi Surya, Bhubaneswar Kalita, and Shashank Mani Tripathi, Shambhavi Choudhary of the LJP (Ram Vilas), TDP General Manager Harish Balayogi, Shiv Sena Milind Deora, and Sarfaraz Ahmad of the JMM.

Aadrika Tayal