Key Points

During an interaction in Washington, DC, the former Indian envoy underlined the global nature of the terrorism threat, saying, "Kindly look at all those terrorists and terrorist organisations, are they friends of the United States and what kind of poison they spread about the United States?... Do keep in mind that these are the same terrorists who have threatened the United States in the past, and you have just witnessed terrorism here, and can do it in the future too. So, India is fighting the battle on behalf of the world, especially the United States."

Echoing this, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor stressed that dialogue with Pakistan cannot happen "with a gun pointed at our head." Tharoor warned that India's recent decisive military actions could be repeated if Pakistan does not rein in terror groups operating from its soil, underscoring the urgent need for Pakistan to control terror elements to pave the way for any meaningful talks.

During a session at the National Press Club, Tharoor said, "I think the US has understood for some time now that India has a very clear position that there will be no talks with a gun pointed at our head. It's not that we can't talk to Pakistan. I was joking the other day, we can speak all the languages they can speak and we're very happy to dialogue with them in any of those languages."

He added, "The problem is we will not dialogue with people who are pointing a gun at our heads. I mean, frankly, if your neighbour unleashes his Rottweilers to bite your children and in fact to do worse to your children and then says let's talk. You think he's going to talk to them until he either unleashes those Rottweilers or locks them up in a kennel or puts them to sleep? It's as simple as that. You're not going to talk to people who are pointing guns at your temples. It's not going to happen."

Tharoor further clarified that the delegation's goal in the US is to enhance understanding of India's stance and address any misconceptions. "We aren't really here to negotiate outcomes. That's the job of the government. Our job is to enhance understanding, to clarify our position and to explain if there are any questions or misapprehensions on the part of our interlocutors, we'd be very happy to address them," he said.

The delegation, which includes members from various political parties and former Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu, arrived in the US following their visit to Brazil. Their mission is to brief key stakeholders about Operation Sindoor, India's diplomatic and military initiative launched in response to terrorism and misinformation after the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists, which killed 26 people and injured several others. The Indian Armed Forces targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, killing over 100 terrorists linked to groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.

In response to Pakistan's subsequent military aggression, India struck Pakistani airbases, leading both countries to agree on a cessation of hostilities on May 10.

- ANI