Tharoor Voices Concern Over Colombia’s Response to India-Pakistan Tensions

Congress MP Dr. Shashi Tharoor, currently leading a multi-party Indian parliamentary delegation to Colombia, expressed disappointment over Bogotá’s reaction to the recent escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan. The delegation is part of India's global diplomatic outreach following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 Indian civilians were killed.

Image Source: Dr. Shashi Tharoor on X

In a media interaction and subsequent interview with Colombian journalist Juan Camilo Ramirez, Dr. Tharoor criticized the Colombian government's statement of condolences for lives lost in Pakistan during India's counter-terror strikes, calling the reaction "disappointing."

“There can be no equivalence between those who dispatch terrorists and those who defend themselves,” said Tharoor. “We were expecting sympathy for the victims of terrorism, not the perpetrators.”

India maintains that it conducted targeted strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7 in response to the Pahalgam attack. Pakistan launched retaliatory actions against Indian military installations on May 8, 9, and 10, prompting strong Indian responses. Hostilities de-escalated following a ceasefire understanding reached on May 10 after talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides.

Tharoor reiterated that India possesses concrete evidence linking the Pahalgam massacre to Pakistan-based terror groups. “Just as Colombia has endured many terror attacks, so have we in India. We have faced such threats for nearly four decades,” he added.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP also drew attention to China’s role, noting that it supplies 81% of Pakistan’s military hardware. “'Defence' is a polite term. Much of that equipment is not used for defence, but for attacks,” he said, referencing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as part of a broader regional security concern.

India has dispatched seven such delegations to 33 global capitals as part of a diplomatic offensive following the Pahalgam attack. The team in Colombia includes MPs from various political parties: Sarfraz Ahmad (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), G M Harish Balayogi (Telugu Desam Party), Shashank Mani Tripathi (BJP), Bhubaneswar Kalita (BJP), Milind Deora (Shiv Sena), Tejasvi Surya (BJP), and former Indian ambassador to the United States, Taranjit Singh Sandhu.

The delegation arrived in Colombia after visiting Panama and Guyana. Their agenda in Bogotá includes engagements with Colombian lawmakers, ministers, think tanks, and media representatives to strengthen bilateral dialogue and communicate India’s counter-terrorism position.