Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, leading a multi-party delegation in Bogotá, expressed dismay at Colombia’s condolences for Pakistani casualties following India’s Operation Sindoor, asserting that equating aggressors with defenders undermines the global fight against terrorism.
Addressing the media, Tharoor stated, “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.”
Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, targeted terrorist camps in Pakistan in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 civilian lives. The Resistance Front, linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam incident.
Tharoor emphasized that India’s actions were a legitimate exercise of self-defence, targeting only terrorist infrastructure. He remarked, “We will say to our friends in Colombia, there can be no equivalence between those who dispatch terrorists and those who resist them.”
The delegation’s visit to Colombia is part of a broader diplomatic outreach to clarify India’s counterterrorism stance and to garner international support. Tharoor noted that Colombia’s response might stem from a lack of complete information, stating, “We have the impression that perhaps the situation was not fully understood when that one statement was made.”
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