Tharoor Vs Bhutto: India, Pakistan delegation in the US for diplomatic outreach
NEW DELHI: As diplomatic efforts pick up, both India and Pakistan are sending delegations to the United States this week. Their aim is to influence the views of American lawmakers and officials.
From India, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is leading an all-party delegation. They are returning to Washington on June 3 after a tour across Latin America. On the other hand, Pakistan's delegation is led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. Their visit starts in New York and Washington and will later extend to London and Brussels, according to Pakistan's foreign ministry.
Bhutto-Zardari's nine-member team includes well-known leaders such as former Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, ex-Information Minister Sherry Rehman, former Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan, and former Foreign Secretaries Jalil Abbas Jilani and Tehmina Janjua.
The Indian team had already arrived in New York on May 24, just before the Memorial Day holiday when the US Congress was not in session. Now that lawmakers have returned to Washington, the Indian delegation is expected to meet members of powerful Congressional committees, key lawmakers, and some figures from the Trump administration.
It is not yet known whether the Indian and Pakistani delegations will be in the same city at the same time.
During an event in New York last month, Tharoor said: 'India has demonstrated Pakistan will have to pay an increasingly higher price for backing terror attacks against the country,' adding that Islamabad 'has not shown any seriousness about tackling terrorism.'
Pakistan's foreign ministry says its diplomatic effort is meant to counter India's recent outreach. The Pakistan government announced two delegations would travel to North America, Europe, and Russia soon after India revealed its plan to send seven teams to 33 countries. India's outreach aims to explain the reasons behind Operation Sindoor, which targeted terrorist camps after the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians.
India's team also includes BJP MP Bhubaneswar Kalita, Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora, and former US ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu.
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