'India exercised right of self-defence': Shashi Tharoor ‘disappointed’ with Colombia’s remark; defends Operation Sindoor
The all-party delegation led by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, interacts with Colombian journalists and media personalities from leading media houses, in Bogota, Colombia | PTI
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is leading a multi-party delegation to five countries to expose Pakistan’s terrorism links, expressed disappointment with Colombian government’s remarks post Operation Sindoor.
Colombia had expressed condolences on the loss of lives in Pakistan in Operation Sindoor – India’s military action on the intervening night of May 6-May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 people.
Speaking to mediapersons in Bogota, Tharoor hinted that the country should have sympathised with the “victims of terrorism” instead. “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,” he added.
Tharoor emphasised that there is no equivalence between those who attack and those who defend their country. “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.”
He added that the multi-party delegation was there to dispel any misunderstandings about Operation Sindoor and the circumstances which necessitated the military response.
The Tharoor-led delegation arrived in Colombia on Thursday, and was received by India's Ambassador to Colombia Vanlalhuma. The delegation will interact with the Members of Congress, ministers and other key interlocutors in think tanks and media, the PTI said in its report.
Tharoor’s group includes 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 ambassador of India to US Taranjit Singh Sandhu. It is one of the seven multi-party delegations sent by India to visit 33 countries, and brief them about the Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor and Pakistan’s continued support to terrorists.
India’s military response led to armed conflict between the two countries before a ceasefire was announced on May 10 following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides.
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