'More blood will flow on your side:' Shashi Tharoor's blunt response to Bhutto's 'inflammatory' remarks

Indian Opposition lawmaker Shashi Tharoor of Congress party has said people in India are demanding military action against Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack, and a visible military response now appears unavoidable. His statement comes as tensions between the two countries are running high following the massacre of 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir.

Calling it a “long pattern” witnessed over the last quarter-century, the former diplomat said Pakistan consistently denies responsibility for terror attacks in India, despite training and arming terrorists across the border.

“I think it’s very clear that there is a pattern. People are encouraged, trained, armed, and often guided from across the border. Then Pakistan denies all responsibility. Eventually, responsibility is established and proven, including by foreign intelligence agencies,” he told the news agency ANI.

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Tharoor pointed out that India retaliated after the 2016 Uri attacks and the 2019 Pulwama attacks, and suggested that this time Pakistan could face an even stricter response.

“After Uri, the government did a surgical strike across the border, and after Pulwama, there was the Balakot air strike. Today, I think we are going to see more than that. It is clear that while we have a range of options - diplomatic, economic, intelligence sharing, covert, and overt action. Some sort of visible military response is unavoidable," said the MP from Thiruvananthapuram.

“The nation is demanding it and expecting it. No one knows what it will be, where it will be, or when it will be. But I am convinced there will be some response,” he added.

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He also responded sharply to Pakistan People’s Party chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s “blood will flow” remark after India suspended the Indus Water Treaty.

“This is just inflammatory rhetoric. Pakistanis must understand they simply cannot kill Indians with impunity. We don’t want to do anything to Pakistanis. But if they do something to us, then be prepared for a response. If blood is going to flow, it will flow possibly more on their side than ours,” said Mr Tharoor.

Tuesday’s terror attack in the scenic meadows of Pahalgam, often called “Mini Switzerland,” was the deadliest in Jammu and Kashmir since the scrapping of Article 370 in 2019. The role of a terror group linked to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba has emerged after the attack.

India and Pakistan’s relations have worsened significantly, with both countries resorting to retaliatory measures, including the cancellation of visas.