Shashi Tharoor Criticises Colombia’s Condolence Message for Pakistan, Says No Parity Between Terrorists and Defenders

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor voiced India’s dissatisfaction with Colombia for extending condolences to Pakistan over casualties from Operation Sindoor, rather than sympathising with the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack.

India’s Right to Self-Defence

During a press briefing in Bogota on May 29, 2025, Tharoor, who leads a multi-party Indian delegation to Colombia, emphasized India’s stance.

“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 explained that India was only exercising its right to self-defence and aimed to clarify any misunderstandings.

“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, and if there is any misunderstanding here, on this core, we are here to dispel any such misunderstanding,” he added.

Concrete Evidence Against Pakistan

Tharoor reiterated India’s evidence linking the Pahalgam attack to Pakistan. “We are very happy to talk to Colombia about the circumstances in detail.

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.

Pahalgam Attack and India’s Response

Addressing the media, Tharoor explained the sequence of events following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, in which 26 civilians were killed.

“India suffered a grievous terrorist attack on April 22… When this happened, of course, the world rose up to condemn the terrorist attack, but that was as far as it went. There was no action taken, not even by the country where these people had emerged from, Pakistan.

Nobody was arrested, and there was no attempt at any prosecution. India decided that this kind of outrage could not go unpunished. On May 7, India chose to strike against known terror bases and launch pads.”

Terrorists’ Funerals Attended by Pakistan Military

Tharoor presented evidence of Pakistan’s complicity in terrorism, showing images of Pakistani officials attending funerals of known terrorists.

“There (in Pakistan) was a well-publicised funeral of one of the terrorists on the sanctions list. That funeral was attended by uniformed senior military and police personnel from Pakistan.

That is the extent of complicity that we are seeing between the terrorists who perpetrate crimes of this nature and those who finance, guide, train, arm and equip them and do provide them safe haven to continue their training and their other awful deeds,” he stated.

Delegation’s Purpose and Visit Details

Tharoor is leading a delegation to Colombia, part of India’s outreach to communicate its resolve to fight terrorism.

He reiterated, “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 further highlighted that India had endured decades of terrorist attacks and hoped to explain the context of the strikes in detail to Colombian counterparts.

“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,” Tharoor said.

China’s Role in Pakistan’s Military Support

Tharoor also mentioned China’s involvement in arming Pakistan. “Defence is a polite word, Pakistani military equipment. Much of it is not for defence but for attack. Our quarrel is with the perpetration of terror against us,” he stated.

He pointed out that 81 percent of Pakistani military equipment is sourced from China and referenced the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Multi-Party Delegation’s Broader Outreach

The Indian delegation in Colombia includes MPs 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 US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu.

They are one of seven delegations visiting 33 global capitals to build international awareness post-Pahalgam attack.

Escalation and Ceasefire with Pakistan

Tensions flared between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam massacre. India launched precision strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7.

Pakistan responded by attempting attacks on Indian military bases between May 8 and 10. The hostilities ended after military officials from both nations agreed to cease further actions following talks on May 10.