 "Why Shashi Tharoor is ‘disappointed’ with Colombia’s take on Operation Sindoor")
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that he is “disappointed” by Colombia’s recent statement on the Indian military action carried out under ‘Operation Sindoor’.
Notably, the Thiruvananthapuram MP is currently leading a multi-party delegation visiting five countries, including Panama and the US.
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The Colombian government had offered its condolences over the loss of lives in Pakistan following India’s retaliatory strikes on May 7.
After visiting Panama and Guyana, Tharoor and his delegation arrived in Colombia on Thursday. The visit is part of a global outreach effort to expose Pakistan’s actions and put forward India’s stand on terrorism.
In this explainer, we take a closer look at Colombia’s statement, Shashi Tharoor’s response, and what else he said in Bogota.
Let’s take a look:
What did Colombia say on Operation Sindoor? How did Shashi Tharoor react?
The Colombian government offered condolences to Pakistan over the deaths that followed India’s retaliatory strikes on May 7, which were carried out as part of Operation Sindoor.
Responding to the message and reiterating India’s firm approach towards terrorism, Tharoor said the country could not allow the Pahalgam terror attack to go unanswered. He said the strikes targeted terrorist bases under Operation Sindoor.
“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," ANI quoted Tharoor as saying during a press briefing attended by several local media outlets.
#WATCH | Bogotá, Colombia | Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, "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… pic.twitter.com/AgpOMpNpSt
— ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2025
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View AllTharoor, who is leading the multi-party delegation, made it clear that India’s actions were based on the right to self-defence. He added that it is wrong to draw any comparison between India and Pakistan in this matter.
“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," he said.
The senior Congress leader added that ‘The Resistance Front’, a group linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba and based in Pakistan’s Muridke, had quickly claimed responsibility for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
“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," he said.
Tharoor also shared an image showing senior Pakistani Army officials attending the funerals of terrorists killed in India’s strike on terror bases. He said this was further proof that Pakistan continues to offer safe shelter for terrorists and allows them to carry on with their training.
He said that Colombia’s message of condolence may have been issued without a complete understanding of the situation.
“We think perhaps the situation was not fully understood when that one statement (Colombia expresses condolences for deaths in Pakistan following Indian strikes on terrorist targets) was made. Understanding is extremely important to us. We are a country that has really been a force for constructive progress in the world…”
Tharoor added that India expects other governments to urge Pakistan to stop supporting and sheltering terrorist groups.
#WATCH | Bogotá, Colombia | Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, "The Indus Waters Treaty was one that was offered by India to Pakistan in the early 1960s in a spirit of goodwill and harmony. In fact, those words occur in the preamble of the treaty; sadly, that goodwill has been… pic.twitter.com/DtDkSIHthG
— ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2025
“We certainly hope that other governments will tell those who provide safe haven and protection to terrorists to stop doing that. That would be really helpful, whether in the Security Council or outside it.”
He also pointed to a funeral held in Pakistan for a terrorist on the sanctions list, which was attended by senior officials in uniform from the military and police.
“That is the extent of complicity that we are seeing between the terrorists who perpetrate crimes of this nature and those who finance, guide, train, arm, and equip them and do provide them safe haven to continue their training and their other awful deeds,” he said.
Chinese military equipment used in Pakistani military?
Speaking in Bogota, Shashi Tharoor pointed out that Chinese military equipment makes up a large part of Pakistan’s armed forces and said it is mostly used for offensive purposes, not defence.
“We are quite conscious that China supplies 81 per cent of all Pakistani defence equipment. Defence is a polite word, Pakistani military equipment. Much of it is not for defence but for attack. Every sovereign country has the right to do that," he said.
He also spoke about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the largest single project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative. This highway links China to a port in southwestern Pakistan, allowing quicker and more affordable movement of goods to western China.
#WATCH | Bogotá, Colombia | Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, "We are quite conscious that China supplies 81 per cent of all Pakistani defence equipment. Defence is a polite word, Pakistani military equipment. Much of it is not for defence but for attack. Every sovereign country… pic.twitter.com/bCKktFnK4F
— ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2025
“We are aware of that, and our concern is not with the rights of the Pakistani people to pursue development. Of course, they may do so, including with the partnership with China. Our quarrel is only with the perpetration of terror against us," Tharoor said.
As per a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China was the biggest arms supplier to Pakistan from 2020 to 2024, covering 81 per cent of its total defence imports.
These included advanced fighter jets, radar systems, naval vessels, submarines, and missiles. The report also said that the two countries jointly produce the JF-17 aircraft, a key part of the Pakistan Air Force.
Tharoor’s comments on the Belt and Road Initiative came after Colombia officially joined the project on May 14 this year. The move signals Colombia’s intent to improve infrastructure and deepen trade ties with China.
The BRI is central to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s goal of expanding China’s influence across the world, economically and politically, and to challenge the United States’ sway over countries in Latin America.
Shashi Tharoor-led delegation & ‘Operation Sindoor’
The delegation led by Shashi Tharoor reached Colombia on Thursday after completing their visits to Panama and Guyana.
During their time in Colombia, the team is scheduled to meet members of Congress, ministers, and other important officials.
The delegation includes MPs and leaders from different parties: Shambhavi Chaudhary (Lok Janshakti Party), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), GM Harish Balayagi (Telugu Desam Party), Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejaswi Surya, Bhubaneswar Kalita (all from BJP), Mallikarjun Devda (Shiv Sena), Taranjit Singh Sandhu (former Indian Ambassador to the US), and Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora.
This team is one of seven multi-party delegations India has sent to 33 world capitals as part of its outreach to the global community following the Pahalgam terror attack.
Tensions between India and Pakistan grew after the attack in Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives. In response, India launched targeted strikes on terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on May 7.
The military actions were called off after the directors general of military operations of both countries held talks on May 10 and agreed to bring the situation under control.
With inputs from agencies
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