India's and Pakistan's 'dueling' delegations land in Washington
Teams of politicians and diplomats were sent from New Delhi and Islamabad to present their views on the recent conflict between the nations
Delegations of both Indian and Pakistani diplomats and politicians have arrived in Washington to meet with US officials and present their side of the recent conflict between the two countries.
India's delegation led by Shashi Tharoor, an MP for the opposition Indian National Congress party, landed in Washington on Wednesday to present its case about the terrorism allegedly emanating from Pakistan.
"Tomorrow almost they will be in Washington, while we are in Washington on the same date. So there's going to be perhaps an increase in interest because there are two dueling delegations in the same city," Tharoor said in an interview with the news agency ANI.
New Delhi has sent seven teams to over 30 countries to counter what it perceives as poor press coverage about the confrontation with Islamabad. External Affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India wants the world to "hold Pakistan accountable" for what he claimed was 40 years of cross-border terrorism against India.
An MP from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) party told the Press Trust of India that the delegations sent across the world will convey India's message of "zero tolerance against terrorism" and the "propaganda they (Pakistan) have been doing since 1947."
The Pakistani delegation, which is led by former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, was tasked by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to "expose Indian propaganda," state-run Pakistan Radio reported in May.
It traveled to Washington on Wednesday after concluding a two-day visit to the UN headquarters in New York, where it accused India of "unilateral aggression" and dismissed India's claims about Islamabad's links to the terrorists behind the Kashmir attack. The delegation also proposed that the Pakistani and Indian intelligence agencies could work together to "decrease" terrorism in South Asia.
New Delhi, however, maintained it will only engage in talks with Islamabad after it takes concrete action against terrorism. "If Pakistan is as innocent as they claim to be, why do they give a safe haven to wanted terrorists?... Why are they able to live peacefully, to conduct training camps...and radicalize further people, to equip arms and get people to practice their arms and Kalashnikovs...," Tharoor told the PTI agency before heading to Washington.
READ MORE: Truce or trap? India's calculated calm with Pakistan
The escalation between the two neighbors began on May 7, when India launched Operation Sindoor against what it called terrorists in Pakistan. This was in response to the terrorist attack in India's Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory in late April that killed 26 tourists. Islamabad denied any involvement in that attack. After a brief but fierce military standoff, a ceasefire was announced on May 10. US President Donald Trump took credit for playing a role in the ceasefire, a claim that New Delhi rejected.
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