'Those who dispatch terrorists...’: Shashi Tharoor expresses disappointment over Colombia's support to Pakistan

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, leading an Indian delegation in Colombia, expressed his disappointments over the host country's supportive statement on Pakistan after Operation Sindoor. Tharoor is in Colombia as part of Indian government's global outreach to expose Pakistan based terror after 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. We will say to our friends in Colombia, there can be no equivalance between those who dispatch terrorists and those who resist them," he said.

Tharoor also reiterated that New Delhi exercised the right of self-defence and has concrete proof against Pakistan-sponsored terror.

"We are only exercising our right of self-defence. We're very happy to talk to Colombia in some detail about the circumstances. Just as Colombia has endured many terror attacks, so have we in India. We have endured a very large number of attacks for almost four decades, " he said.

He also spoke about China Pakistan ties. "During the conference, when asked about Pakistan’s defence equipment, he said: “We are quite conscious that China supplies 81 per cent of all Pakistani defence equipment. Defence is a polite word, Pakistani military equipment. Much of it is not for defence but for attack. Every sovereign country has the right to do that.”

“The single largest project in China’s Belt and Road Initiative is in Pakistan, the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is a highway corridor connecting China to a port in southwestern Pakistan that permits goods to be transported relatively quickly and economically to western China. We are aware of that, and our concern is not with the rights of the Pakistani people to pursue development. Of course, they may do so, including with the partnership with China,” he added.

India conducted Operation Sindoor hitting terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, killing 100 terrorists. India's action was in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22 in which 26 people were killed. Pakistan launched drone attack on civilian and military posts in bordering states after which India's retaliatory action destroyed its airbases.

Shashi Tharoor led delegation 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.