Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, leading an all-party Indian parliamentary delegation to the United States, firmly stated that India will not engage in dialogue with Pakistan “with a gun pointed at our head,” reiterating the country’s uncompromising stand on terrorism. He warned that India would not hesitate to repeat its recent retaliatory actions if Pakistan fails to curb terror groups operating on its soil.
Speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, Tharoor said, “It’s not that we can’t talk to Pakistan. We’re happy to dialogue in any language — but not with people pointing a gun at our heads.” Using a vivid analogy, he added, “If your neighbour unleashes Rottweilers on your children and then says ‘let’s talk,’ you won’t speak until those dogs are restrained or removed.”
Tharoor made it clear that the delegation’s mission was not to demand specific actions from the US, but to ensure clarity on India’s position following Operation Sindoor, the military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. “We want the world to understand not just what happened, but what can happen again if Pakistan doesn’t act. If they hit us, we will hit back.”
He also dismissed former US President Donald Trump’s claim that trade deals persuaded India to halt military operations against Pakistan. “That’s not the impression I have,” Tharoor said, adding that numerous calls were made to PM Modi and EAM Jaishankar, but none involved trade discussions. “We were never interested in escalating — our actions were defensive. Once Pakistan stopped, we stopped.”
The bipartisan Indian delegation includes MPs from across party lines, such as BJP’s Tejasvi Surya, Congress’s Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shiv Sena’s Milind Deora, and former Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu. The team is on a diplomatic outreach tour to explain the objectives of Operation Sindoor and to build international consensus against terrorism and propaganda.
Following their US leg, the delegation arrived after concluding a similar visit to Brazil. Tharoor emphasised that this campaign is not about seeking favors from global powers, but about ensuring shared understanding: “We’re not asking them to do anything except understand our perspective and stand with us if this happens again.”
India’s Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, involved targeted strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Over 100 terrorists from groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen were eliminated. The operation concluded with a mutual ceasefire agreement on May 10.
