Congress MP highlights India’s decisive approach after Operation Sindoor, sending a clear message of zero tolerance for terror
New York [US], May 25: As part of an all-party delegation to the United States, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday (local time) described Operation Sindoor as a turning point in India’s approach to terrorism, saying it has established a “new normal” of decisive retaliation and zero tolerance.
“No one sitting in Pakistan is going to be allowed to believe that they can just walk across the border and kill our citizens with impunity. There will be a price to pay, and that price has been going up systematically,” Tharoor stated during an interaction in New York.
Tharoor outlined how, after India’s precise strikes targeting terrorist bases, Pakistan responded with indiscriminate shelling that killed 19 civilians and injured 59, including Carmelite nuns and Sikhs worshipping in a Gurudwara.
He said, “It was officially conveyed to Pakistan to stop with that act… no military targets, no civilian targets, no governmental targets had been hit, not even by accident. The message had been delivered exactly and precisely to the terrorists and their handlers.”
However, Pakistan’s escalation forced India to respond with measured force. “The matters got worse the next day as the Pakistanis followed up artillery shelling with a serious invasion of drones and missiles. India’s air defences were able to hold them off, but in turn, India returned the compliment and on the night of 10th May, India hit 11 Pakistani military targets, including a well-known air base just 1.5 kilometres away from Pakistan’s military headquarters in Rawalpindi,” he said.
The conflict ultimately ended when Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations called India to request a ceasefire. “We said: we didn’t want to start anything. We were just sending a message to terrorists. You started, we replied. If you stop, we’ll stop,” Tharoor recounted.
While lamenting the tragic loss of civilian lives, Tharoor noted that India’s resolve has only been strengthened. “We look back on this experience with a steely and renewed sense of determination,” he concluded.
The delegation, including MPs Shambhavi Chaudhary (LJP), Sarfaraz Ahmed (JMM), G M Harish Balayagi (TDP), Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejaswi Surya, Bhubaneswar K Lata (all BJP), Mallikarjun Devda (Shiv Sena), and former Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, is in the US to project India’s zero-tolerance policy on terrorism.
The delegation was welcomed in New York by Indian Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra. In a social media post, the Indian Consulate said, “Carrying forth to the world India’s strong message of zero-tolerance against terrorism! All-Party Delegation, led by Dr. Shashi Tharoor welcomed by Amb. Vinay Mohan Kwatra in New York.”