New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor reiterated India’s firm stance against terrorism, saying the country has made it clear that it will not tolerate cross-border terror in any form. He was speaking at the launch of his new book “Whither India-Pakistan Relations Today? Can They Ever Be Good Neighbours?”
Referring to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, Tharoor said India had no choice but to respond decisively. “With Balakot in 2019 and Operation Sindoor now, India has sent a very clear message that we will not sit quietly if terror is unleashed on us,” he said.
Tharoor also clarified that it was Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), not former U.S. President Donald Trump, who sought peace after India’s successful airstrikes. He pointed to the strikes on May 9–10 and India’s interception of Pakistan’s attempted missile response as the key turning point.
“The successful strikes and our ability to foil their retaliation is what forced Pakistan’s DGMO to call his Indian counterpart asking for peace. This had nothing to do with Mr Trump,” Tharoor asserted.
Looking ahead, the senior Congress leader said India now stands “at the threshold of immense possibilities,” with its aim of becoming a developed nation by 2047. He emphasized that peace at the borders is crucial for India’s growth, prosperity, and role as the voice of the Global South.
“These aspirations will be hollow if we are continuously being pricked by needles from across the border,” he warned, adding that stable neighbourhood relations are indispensable to India’s rise as a leading power in a multipolar world.
Tharoor recently led a multi-party delegation abroad to brief global leaders on India’s stand against terrorism following Operation Sindoor, which was launched in retaliation to the Pahalgam attack.
