Shashi Tharoor says Colombia withdraws statement for Pakistan after India's ‘disappointment'

Hindustan Times

5 days ago

Shashi Tharoor of the Congress on Friday (local time) said Colombia has reversed its earlier stance on the India-Pakistan conflict – a position that had earlier drawn criticism for expressing condolences for 'Pakistanis' following Indian airstrikes. Shashi Tharoor, who is leading an all-party delegation to different nations to expose Pakistan over terrorism as part of Operation Sindoor, added that Colombia would now release a statement offering 'strong' support for India's position.
"We met with the foreign ministry - the senior vice minister received us. We had some good news: They have withdrawn their statement that disappointed us earlier and will issue a statement of strong support for our position and understanding of our position. Finally, here we are before this beautiful bust of Mahatma Gandhi on the campus of the main university," said Shashi Tharoor, referring to the delegation's visit to Tadeo Lozano University in Bogota, where they paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.
Tharoor had previously expressed 'disappointment' over Colombia's reaction to India's Operation Sindoor, a series of military strikes targeting terrorist camps in Pakistan. He said that Colombia had expressed sympathy for Pakistani casualties rather than for the victims of the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 people on April 22.
'We were a little disappointed in the reaction of the Colombian government, which apparently expressed heartfelt condolences on the loss of lives in Pakistan after the Indian strikes, rather than sympathising with the victims of terrorism,' Tharoor had said earlier.
Tharoor is currently leading the multi-party delegation across the Americas as part of India's diplomatic push to communicate its zero-tolerance stance on terrorism. After visiting Panama and Guyana, the team reached Colombia on Thursday. Their next stops include Brazil and the United States.
Appreciating Colombia's revised position, Tharoor told ANI, 'The Vice Minister very graciously mentioned that they have withdrawn the statement that we had expressed concern about and that they fully understand our position on the matter, which is something we really value.'
Former Indian Ambassador to the United States and BJP leader Taranjit Singh Sandhu said the Colombian government revised its earlier position after receiving a thorough briefing from the Indian delegation.
'This morning we had a detailed interaction with the acting Foreign Minister and our leader and the entire team made specific points to them explaining to them the timeline which perhaps to an extent they might have missed out. The end result was that they are withdrawing one of the other statements which had come out and have promised and stated, actually quite clearly, on terrorism and the issue. The importance of Colombia, apart from other reasons, is also that it will be a member of the Security Council soon,' Sandhu told ANI.
After the Indian delegation's meeting with Colombia's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio in Bogota, Sandhu told ANI, 'we are very confident with the explanation that we received today and the detailed information that we now have regarding the real situation, the conflict, and what happened in Kashmir, we can also continue the dialogue…'
BJP MP Shashank Mani highlighted Colombia's past with terrorism and acknowledged that the country now aligns with India's position.
"It is notable that terrorism has affected Colombia as well. However, after a long struggle, Colombia is now a peaceful country. We have come here with a message of peace. We have clearly stated that we will give a fitting response to every terrorist attack, and when it is over, we want nothing but peace."
(With ANI inputs)