Leading an all-party Indian parliamentary delegation to the US, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor strongly defended Operation Sindoor as a precise and justified military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. He criticised Pakistan for retaliating with indiscriminate attacks on civilian and religious sites, including a Sikh gurdwara and a convent in Poonch.
Speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, Tharoor condemned the brutal attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, calling it a “sickening outrage.” He highlighted how the victims, including tourists in a thriving Kashmir region, were targeted for their religion. “They were murdered in cold blood… shot between the eyes,” he said.
Tharoor praised the Indian government’s handling of the crisis: “I wrote an op-ed headlined ‘Hit Hard, Hit Smart’, and that’s exactly what the government did.” He said India’s strikes were limited to nine known terrorist bases listed by the United Nations Terrorism Sanctions Committee and avoided civilian, government, or military targets in Pakistan. “We’ve just hit terrorist infrastructure,” he reiterated.
He sharply criticised Pakistan’s response, calling it “indiscriminate and irresponsible.” Pakistan, he said, shelled civilian areas, religious institutions, and homes, killing 19 civilians and injuring 59 others. He noted that India retaliated proportionately but with restraint. “If they stop, we’ll stop,” he said, adding that hostilities ceased after the Pakistani Director General of Military Operations reached out to his Indian counterpart.
Tharoor stressed that India does not seek war. “We have better things to do,” he said, citing India’s developmental priorities and Gandhian legacy of non-violence. “But we will never bow to terrorism.”
The Congress MP also detailed the delegation’s diplomatic efforts across four countries—Guyana, Panama, Colombia, and Brazil—before arriving in the US. At each stop, lawmakers, think tanks, and media representatives strongly condemned the Pahalgam attack and supported India’s right to defend itself. Tharoor noted that “every single person” the delegation met expressed “unequivocal solidarity” with India.
He concluded by emphasizing that India refuses to be defined by terrorism. “We are a nation focused on economic growth, innovation, and becoming a global leader in fields like technology and pharmaceuticals. Terrorism is a distraction, not our identity.”
Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, targeted terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Over 100 terrorists affiliated with groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen were eliminated. Hostilities ended on May 10 after mutual agreement between Indian and Pakistani military leadership.
The Indian delegation includes MPs from across the political spectrum, reflecting a united national stance against terrorism.
