Colombia’s Sympathy For Pak Upsets Tharoor

New Delhi: Ahead of the engagements in Colombia, Shashi Tharoor, the head of the all-party delegation, expressed “disappointment” at the reaction of the Colombian government that had earlier expressed condolences at the loss of lives in Pakistan after India launched Operation Sindoor. The Indian delegation is hoping to convey to the Colombian government and civil society that there can be no equivalence between a country like Pakistan that trains terrorists and a country like India that is defending itself against this cross-border terrorism.

Tharoor made it clear that India “reserves the right to hit back” against terrorism.

During a press conference Tharoor said, “We were a little disappointed in the reaction of the Colombian government, which expressed condolences on the loss of lives in Pakistan after the Indian strikes, rather than sympathising with the victims of terrorism.

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. If there is any misunderstanding here on this core, we are here to dispel it,” Tharoor said.

“We’re very happy to talk to Colombia in some detail about the circumstances.”

He added, “We have 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 (terror group) Lashkar-e-Tayyaba based in Muridke, Pakistan… There is no doubt as to where this came from. And we will reserve always the right to hit back. 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.”

Mr Tharoor added, “Pakistan has been breeding the monsters of terrorism for a very long time for their own purposes. We all know that when Osama bin Laden was being hunted around the world, it was Pakistan that gave him shelter. The Americans found him in a safehouse near a (Pakistan) Army base … .”

Meanwhile, another all-party delegation headed by NCP-SP MP Ms Supriya Sule completed its visit to South Africa during which country’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) “reaffirmed its commitment to standing in solidarity with the people of India, emphasising that terrorism must be condemned in all its forms”. On the visit, the Indian Embassy stated, “The All-party Indian delegation was on a visit to South Africa from May 27-29, 2025, following Operation Sindoor, and held interactions with South African interlocutors in Johannesburg and Pretoria on 29th May, 2025. The All-party delegation led by Hon’ble MP, Ms. Supriya Sule engaged with the leaders of African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa led by Mr. Fikile Mbalula, Secretary-General of ANC. The meeting was also joined by leaders of ANC, including Mahlengi Bhengu, ANC National Spokesperson, Alvin Botes, deputy minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Thandi Moraka, deputy minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Andile Lungisa, ANC NEC member, Mntuwoxolo Ngudle, ANC Youth League secretary general and Mzwandile Masina, chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition.

The Indian Embassy added, “During the meeting, Indian delegation informed about the heinous terrorist attack on 22nd April at Pahalgam and India’s Operation Sindoor in response to and India’s new resolve to respond to any incident of cross-border terrorism without drawing distinction between terrorists, their organizations or their state sponsors. ANC leaders welcomed and appreciated the briefing by Indian delegation. The ANC reaffirmed its commitment to standing in solidarity with the people of India, emphasizing that terrorism must be condemned in all its forms. During the press engagement with local media by the All-Party delegation in Johannesburg, the delegation highlighted the historic relations and strong strategic partnership between India and South Africa. The delegation explained the significance of Operation Sindoor and elaborated on India’s firm stance against cross-border terrorism. It also informed that India would respond to any terrorist attack promptly and decisively and there were no possibilities of talks until terrorism was completely eliminated.”