India hit 'hard and smart' after Pahalgam attack: In New York, Tharoor slams Pak for backing terror

Taking a sharp dig at Pakistan for backing terrorism as a matter of state policy, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, speaking in New York on Saturday, praised India’s firm yet balanced response to the Pahalgam terror attack. He is currently leading a multi-party delegation to five countries as part of India’s global outreach against terrorism under Operation Sindoor.

At the Indian Consulate, Tharoor said the Pakistan-backed attackers had targeted victims based on their religion, describing it as a clear attempt to incite communal violence.

Emphasising the success of Operation Sindoor, he lauded the security forces for India’s targeted strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, stating that India had “hit hard and hit smart”.

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“It was a group of people going around identifying the religions of individuals and killing them on that basis — clearly intended to provoke a backlash in the rest of India, as the victims were overwhelmingly Hindu,” Tharoor said.

“There was an extraordinary amount of unity cutting across religious and other divides in India — precisely the opposite of what the perpetrators had hoped to provoke. The message is very clear: there was a malign intent… and sadly, India had no reason to doubt where it came from.”

‘I don’t work for the government…’

Speaking on India’s response to the Pahalgam attack, Tharoor said, “I don’t work for the government, as you know — I represent an opposition party — but I personally wrote an op-ed in one of India’s leading newspapers just days after the attack, stating that the time had come to hit hard and hit smart. I’m pleased to say that’s exactly what India did.”

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He added, “It was obviously a very moving moment for us, but it was also intended to send a very strong message — that we are here in a city which still bears the scars of that savage terrorist attack, in the wake of yet another terrorist attack in our own country.”

Terrorism is a global issue

Speaking about the purpose of the all-party delegation’s visit, Tharoor explained, “This visit is an opportunity. In every country, we will meet members of the executive, the legislature, think tanks, and influential foreign policy experts, while also engaging with the media and the wider public.”

He highlighted the solidarity shown in Jammu and Kashmir — from politicians to civilians — in the aftermath of the attack. “There was an extraordinary display of unity, cutting across religious and other divides that certain elements had sought to exploit. The message is very clear: there was a malign intent… and sadly, India has no reason to doubt where it originated.”

“Sadly, Pakistan chose its usual path of denial. In fact, with China’s support, it succeeded in having references to the Resistance Front removed from the UN Security Council’s press statement just two days later,” he added.

Tharoor underlined that “India sent a clear message — it would not take terrorism lying down. It would respond. But by carrying out calculated and precise strikes on specific targets, India also signalled that this was not the beginning of a long war, but a single act of retribution. The intention was to end it there.”

The all-party delegation led by Tharoor includes Shambhavi Chaudhary (Lok Janshakti Party), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), G M Harish Balayagi (Telugu Desam Party), Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejasvi Surya, Bhubaneswar K Lata (all BJP), Mallikarjun Devda (Shiv Sena), and former Indian Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu.

The delegation aims to present India’s national consensus and firm stance on combating terrorism in all its forms, carrying the country’s strong message of zero tolerance to the global community during this outreach initiative.