NEW DELHI: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has expressed disappointment over Colombia’s recent statement on India’s military strikes under Operation Sindoor.
“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, he said.
Tharoor is currently in Bogotá as part of an Indian foreign outreach delegation following Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
Speaking to reporters in Bogota, Tharoor said, “We are here looking for understanding. We have the impression that perhaps the situation was not fully understood when that one statement was made. Understanding is extremely important for us. We are a country which has really been a force for constructive progress in the world,” he said.
Tharoor further said that India’s response was a matter of self-defence and not aggression.
“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 stated.
The Congress MP also urged Colombia to reconsider how it views the conflict.
“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.”
Tharoor also emphasised that India has evidence linking the Pahalgam attack to Pakistan-based terror groups.
“We have, as I said, very concrete proof. In fact, when this terrorist attack occurred, it was immediately claimed by an organisation called The Resistance Front, which is a unit of the Lashkar-e-Taiba base in Muridke, Pakistan,” he said.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP, on the purpose of the visit of India delegation, said that it was to clarify the confusion about India’s action if any.
“If there is any misunderstanding here on this core, we are here to dispel any such misunderstanding. We are very happy to talk to Colombia in some detail about the circumstances,” he said.
