During a powerful address to the Indian community in Panama, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor condemned Pakistan for its continued support of cross-border terrorism, asserting that India’s long-standing desire for peaceful coexistence has not been met with goodwill.
“Unfortunately, our desire to just be left alone is not reciprocated by our friends on the other side of the border,” said Tharoor. “They have chosen repeatedly to attack us because they want territory that we rightfully control as part of India’s sovereign borders. We are not going to surrender even if it comes at a cost—we’ve paid that price many times before.”
Speaking on the sidelines of a three-day official visit to Panama, Tharoor recalled India’s history of enduring terror attacks since the late 1980s and emphasized that the country would no longer accept being a passive victim.
“For almost four decades, we have suffered—from the first attacks in Kashmir in 1989 to the present day. It is just not acceptable for us to continue to bear the grief and loss and merely plead with the international community,” Tharoor said.
Highlighting India’s shift in response strategy, he pointed to military operations such as the Uri surgical strikes, Balakot airstrikes, and the recent Operation Sindoor, launched after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that left 26 civilians dead.
“What has changed is that now the terrorists know they will pay a price,” Tharoor asserted. “Uri was the first time we crossed the Line of Control. Then came Pulwama and the Balakot strike—across the international border. And now, with Operation Sindoor, India has struck at nine terror bases in the very heart of Pakistan’s Punjab.”
Tharoor also offered a moving tribute to the victims of the Pahalgam attack, recounting harrowing stories from survivors and underlining the emotional and symbolic significance of Operation Sindoor.
“The terrorists didn’t just kill—they erased the Sindoor from the foreheads of 26 women by depriving them of their husbands and fathers. Our Prime Minister has made it clear that the colour of the Sindoor must match the blood of the perpetrators. This was a national wound,” he said.
A moment of silence was held at Panama’s Sociedad Hindostana, a prominent cultural institution, where the all-party parliamentary delegation joined the Indian community to honour the memory of those killed in the attack.
The delegation, led by Shashi Tharoor, includes Sarfaraz Ahmed, G M Harish Balayogi, Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejasvi Surya, Bhubaneswar Kalita, Mallikarjun Devda, Milind Deora, and former ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu. They are in Panama following their official engagement in Guyana, as part of India’s global outreach to counter terrorism narratives and build international solidarity post-Operation Sindoor.
