Leading an all-party parliamentary delegation to Brazil, Tharoor added that the team effectively communicated India’s strong stance against terrorism to Latin American nations, including those that might have had some misconceptions, reffering to Colombia.
-1748938084015_d.png "India will talk to Pakistan only if they crack down infrastructure of terrorism, says Shashi Tharoor")
The all-party parliamentary delegation lead by Shashi Tharoor visits Brazil, to effectively communicated India’s strong stance against terrorism to Latin American nations. Pic/X
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday said that the real challenge in initiating a conversation with Pakistan is not language, but in establishing a shared commitment to decency and peace. He also emphasised that New Delhi is open to talk if Islamabad demonstrates concrete steps to dismantle its widespread terror infrastructure, reported PTI.
Leading an all-party parliamentary delegation to Brazil, Tharoor added that the team effectively communicated India’s strong stance against terrorism to Latin American nations, including those that might have had some misconceptions.
"This is what we keep telling our interlocutors. If Pakistan is as innocent as they claim to be, why do they give safe haven to wanted terrorists? Why are they able to live peacefully, to conduct training camps and radicalise further people, to equip arms and get people to practice their arms and Kalashnikovs," said Tharoor.
He highlights that talking to Pakistan is not the language but finding a common vision for decency and peace.
"You crack down on this infrastructure of terrorism that is visible everywhere in your country. Then, of course, we can talk. We can talk to them in Hindustani. We can talk to them in Punjabi. We can talk to them in English. There is no problem in finding common ground with Pakistan. The problem is finding a common vision for decency, for peace. We want to be left in peace, to grow and develop. They don't want to leave us alone. They want to harass us. They want to undermine us. They want to cut us this whole bleeding to death India by 1,000 cuts. They're not going to bleed to death so easily. Better forget that idea," he added.
When asked whether India expects Brazil, the host of the 11th BRICS Parliamentary Forum, to release a statement condemning terrorism targeting Indian citizens, Tharoor responded to the query, “I think, honestly, BRICS has a different agenda. I'm not saying that they may not want to express solidarity. I mean, that's really not my brief. I don't know, and I don't even know if it's in the draft that they're working on already. As far as the other issues you're concerned, you know, international forums are not our preoccupation. Our preoccupation is honestly our bilateral relation to Pakistan and Pakistan's complete failure to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism in their country.”
When questioned whether the other nations recognised India’s stance against terrorism, Tharoor said that the all-party delegations have been to four nations including Guyana, Panama, Colombia, and Brazil, and so far the delegation has been clear with their aim to all the countries they have been to.
"And I would say in all four countries, we've had very clear success, if that's the word, I don't like to boast of success. That's for others to judge. But we have got our message through very clearly, including to those who may have had some misunderstandings," he said, referring to Colombia.
Earlier, Tharoor had said Colombia withdrew a statement that offered condolences to lives lost in Pakistan, followed by India’s military strikes in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, when the delegation explained Islamabad's ongoing support for cross-border terrorism.
"And as a result of getting our message through, we have certainly been able, in my view, to come back feeling that these countries understand our situation better and express full solidarity with our struggle against terrorism, which is the main purpose of our trip," Tharoor said.
The all-party delegation led by Tharoor will now head to Washington DC from Brazil.
Answering the question on the delegation's expectations from the Washington DC visit, Tharoor said, "My expectations are that it's going to be a challenging visit. We have a lot of different kinds of audiences.Judging by some of the information floating around, flying around, we get some interesting and perhaps challenging questions, which we will be very happy to answer."
(With inputs from PTI)
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