During an interaction with policy thinkers and young professionals in the United States, Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Shashi Tharoor emphasised the strategic complexities India faces in its neighbourhood, particularly highlighting China’s significant influence over Pakistan. Citing publicly available data, Tharoor pointed out that 81 per cent of Pakistan’s offensive military equipment originates from China, underlining Beijing’s deep-rooted strategic and defence partnership with Islamabad.
“China is an absolutely impossible factor to ignore in our confrontation with Pakistan,” Tharoor remarked, adding that India is under no illusions about the gravity of the challenges in its immediate geopolitical environment.
Despite these concerns, Tharoor stressed India’s commitment to maintaining diplomatic engagement, stating that the country has consistently sought to keep communication channels open, even with adversaries. He noted that while strategic caution is essential, India has focused on economic growth, development, and trade, with bilateral trade with China continuing at record levels.
“It’s not about hostility. But we would be naive to ignore the deeper strategic undercurrents,” Tharoor said, calling for a nuanced and clear-eyed approach to India’s external relations.
Tharoor leads all-party delegation to US, rejects 'mediation in terror-linked conflicts'
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, currently heading an all-party Indian parliamentary delegation to the United States, strongly opposed the idea of mediation in conflicts involving terrorism. He asserted that any attempt to equate terrorist actors with their victims is both morally flawed and factually inaccurate.
“Mediation is not a term we are particularly willing to entertain,” Tharoor said during an interaction, firmly rejecting suggestions that the U.S. could serve as a mediator between India and Pakistan. “There is no equivalence between terrorists and their victims—nor between a country that shelters terrorism and one that is a multi-party democracy striving for peace.”
Tharoor acknowledged the complexities of international diplomacy, noting that while India appreciated outreach from the U.S. government during moments of heightened tension, any real diplomatic leverage would be better directed toward the party supporting terrorism.
India knows what Pakistan's all about: Tharoor
On a question asked whether any country had asked the delegation for evidence of Pakistan's involvement in the Pahalgam attack and about Pakistan's repeated denials of any role in the attack, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, "I'm very glad you raised this. I didn't plant it, I promise you. Very simply, no one had any doubt, and we were not asked for evidence. But the media have asked in two or three places. Let me say very clearly that India would not have done this without convincing evidence. But there were three particular reasons I want to draw your attention to all of you. The first is that we've had a 37-year pattern of repeated terror attacks from Pakistan, accompanied by repeated denials."
"I mean, Americans haven't forgotten that Pakistan didn't know, allegedly, where Osama bin Laden was until he was found in a Pakistani safe house right next to an army camp in a cantonment city. That's Pakistan. Mumbai attacks- they denied having anything to do with it...So we know what Pakistan's all about. They will dispatch terrorists, they will deny they did so until they're actually caught with red hands," Tharoor added.
“My government received high-level calls from the US, and we welcomed their concern. But the real influence, if any, would be on the side that needed to be dissuaded from supporting terrorism,” he remarked, referring implicitly to Pakistan.
The Congress MP emphasised India’s consistent use of authentic diplomatic and military communication channels, noting that recent briefings in the wake of terror incidents were conducted by diverse officials, including Muslim women military officers.
India vs Terrorism
“This is not a Hindu versus Muslim issue. It is a united India against terror. That message came through very clearly,” Tharoor stated.
Shashi Tharoor said, "...We hit terror bases. There are no terror bases in India to hit. There are no terrorist organisations in India listed in the UN or the State Department anywhere else. So, what do you hit? You hit civilians, innocent people. That is the asymmetry of this particular conflict. We have tried not just to be precise and calibrated in our response, but we have tried systematically to signal we are not interested in war with Pakistan. We're not interested in attacking Pakistani civilians, ordinary people. This is about India versus terrorism...".
The all-party delegation, which includes representatives from the BJP, Congress, Shiv Sena, Telugu Desam Party, and others, is in the US after concluding a visit to Brazil. The delegation includes MPs such as Tejasvi Surya, Milind Deora, Mallikarjun Devda, and Shambhavi Chaudhary, as well as former Indian Ambassador to the U.S., Taranjit Singh Sandhu.
Their primary objective is to brief key US stakeholders on "Operation Sindoor", a diplomatic initiative launched by India in response to the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The mission aims to counter terrorism and disinformation through international engagement and strategic dialogue.