'Disappointed': Shashi Tharoor on Colombia's condolence message for Pak deaths in Operation Sindoor

Tharoor said there can't be any equivalence between terrorists and ones who defend their country.

The Congress MP, which is leading an all-party delegation, said, "We were a little disappointed in the reaction of the Colombian government, which apparently expressed heartfelt condolences on the loss of lives in Pakistan after the Indian strikes, rather than sympathising with the victims of terrorism..."

He added, "We will say to our friends in Colombia, there can be no equivalence between those who dispatch terrorists and those who resist them. There can be no equivalence between those who attack and those who defend. We are only exercising our right of self-defence, and if there is any misunderstanding here on this core, we are here to dispel any such misunderstanding. We're very happy to talk to Colombia in some detail about the circumstances.

"We have, as I said, very concrete proof. In fact, when this terrorist attack occurred, it was immediately claimed by an organisation called The Resistance Front, which is a unit of the Lashkar-e-Taiba base in Muridke, Pakistan... Just as Colombia has endured many terror attacks, so have we in India. We have endured a very large number of attacks for almost four decades."

Operation Sindoor

Operation Sindoor was a fierce military operation launched by the Indian Air Force (IAF) on the intervening night of May 6 and 7, in response to the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 tourists who were enjoying their vacation at Baisaran Valley, which is referred to as India's Switzerland.

The operation aimed to dismantle terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

After the Pakistan Army again targeted Indian civilians and resorted to cross-border firing, the Indian Armed Forces retaliated, destroying defence systems of the hostile neighbour.

On Pakistan's appeal, India responded with a ceasefire on May 10 but Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned of fresh retaliation if Islamabad goes astray.