New Delhi , August 20 : Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, India established that it will not take any form of terrorism.
Speaking at the launch of his book ‘Whither India-Pakistan Relations Today? Can They Ever Be Good Neighbours?’, Tharoor reinstated India’s claims that it was Pakistan’s DGMO, not US President Donald Trump, who came with a peace proposal.
He said, “At the end of the day, India did not have very much choice on how to react to all this. A couple of days after Pahalgam, I wrote an op-ed advocating precisely this. You can imagine my satisfaction and semi-disbelief that I didn’t realise anyone in Delhi would be reading my op-ed, which is why I was such an enthusiastic supporter of it. It followed exactly the course of action I had advised in my op-ed. 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.”
Tharoor said that Pakistan was overwhelmed at India’s successful airstrikes on its military bases, which elicited their response of asking for peace.
“The successful strikes on the night of 9-10 May and the ability of India to intercept the attempted Pakistani response, when they sent missiles to Delhi on the morning of 10th May, is what contributed undoubtedly, and not Mr Trump, to the call by the Pakistani DGMO to his Indian counterpart asking for peace.”
Tharoor said that India now stands at the threshold of immense possibilities, such as the goal of being a developed nation by 2047.
He said, “If we accept that the overwhelming priority, the overwhelming objective of our nation is the growth, development, and prosperity of our people, then peace and tranquillity of our borders is indispensable to our national interests. India today stands at the threshold of immense possibilities.”
Tharoor added that India is the voice of the Global South, but the progress would only be uninhibited if Pakistan stops needling at its border.
“We aspire to emerge as a developed country by 2047, a leading power in the multipolar world, one where we can grow unimpeded, define our own spheres of influence, and set the terms of our engagements. In doing so, we even help to shape the future geopolitical order, while serving as the voice of the Global South and ensuring that the priorities of developing nations are presented at the world’s high tables. These aspirations will be hollow if we are continuously being pricked by needles from across the border and are unable to sustain stable relationships in our own neighbourhood,” he said.
Tharoor recently led a multi-party delegation, visiting various countries, to apprise the world about India’s stand against cross-border terrorism following Operation Sindoor, which was launched in retaliation against the ghastly Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. (ANI)
