NEW DELHI: Speaking in New York as part of Operation Sindoor’s global outreach, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor reflected on India’s past efforts to pursue peace with Pakistan, only to be met with terrorist attacks. Leading an all-party parliamentary delegation to the United States, Tharoor cited the 2016 Pathankot Airbase attack, which occurred just weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise visit to Pakistan.
“In January 2016, there was an attack on an Indian Airbase, and our Prime Minister had just visited Pakistan the month before,” Tharoor said at the Indian Consulate in New York.
“He was so taken aback that he invited Pakistan to join the investigation. Imagine the horror in our military circles—yet their team returned and accused Indians of staging the attack themselves.”
Tharoor also invoked the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, where over 150 lives were lost, to highlight the persistent threat of Pakistan-backed terrorism.
“Those attackers were receiving real-time instructions from handlers in Pakistan,” he said.
He drew parallels with the 9/11 attacks in the United States and referenced Operation Neptune Spear, the US mission that killed Osama Bin Laden.
“And yet Pakistan claimed they didn’t know where Bin Laden was—until he was found living in a compound near a military base in Abbottabad,” Tharoor noted.
“That was a missed chance for Pakistan to demonstrate it was serious about ending terror.”
India’s New Approach: ‘Hit Hard, Hit Smart’
Shifting to the present, Tharoor said India’s response to terrorism has evolved—especially following the Pahalgam massacre—through a series of precision strikes under Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7 to target terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
“We’ve reached a point where we’ve drawn a new bottom line,” Tharoor said.
“We tried everything—dossiers, appeals, diplomacy—but Pakistan remains in denial. There have been no serious prosecutions, no action against terror networks, and continued protection of safe havens.”
On the airstrikes, he stated:
“If Pakistan acts, it should expect a response. Operation Sindoor has shown that India can retaliate with precision.”
A Unified Indian Voice Against Terror
Tharoor is leading a multi-party delegation that includes representatives from Congress, BJP, Shiv Sena, JMM, TDP, LJP, and former Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu. The aim of the tour is to showcase India’s united stance against terrorism on the global stage.
The visit began at the 9/11 Memorial in New York, drawing a symbolic connection between victims of terrorism worldwide and underscoring the shared threat.
“This is about projecting India’s national consensus,” Tharoor said.
“Terrorism must be confronted, and we will no longer tolerate safe havens.”
The outreach mission will include meetings with US government officials, lawmakers, foreign policy experts, think tanks, and media across the Americas.
