New Delhi: The pacifying segment no longer exists, as Colombia has retracted the previous statement expressing condolences for the loss of lives in Pakistan during India’s Operation Sindoor within hours. The remarks drew a strong reaction from an Indian delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. The change, announced on May 30, comes as a major victory for India’s global outreach drive to project its zero-tolerance position on terrorism.
Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, Tharoor, who is leading a multi-party parliamentary group, expressed his dismay. He rejected Colombia’s initial response as criticising India for its strikes on terror bases on May 7 while offering sympathy for casualties in Pakistan rather than condemning the Pahalgam attack on April 22, which resulted in the killing of 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir. Tharoor said it was unfortunate that Colombia, which he said was also a victim of terrorism, did not “recognise the victims” and asserted that India acted in self-defence, which is a legal right under international law.
The nine-MP delegation, which includes members from four different parties, met with Colombia’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio, on Friday. India also cited to Islamabad the connection of the Pahalgam attack to terror groups based in Pakistan, including The Resistance Front, a hybrid of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. Colombia had on May 8 issued a statement saying its forces would allow any rebels reintegrating into civilian life to pass. Villavicencio said the clarification was welcome news. She informed reporters that, with this clarification, our understanding of the Kashmir situation has improved, and we support the Indian understanding of the matter.
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