'No talks with a gun to our head'
New Delhi has stated it will not engage in a dialogue with Islamabad while facing security threats
New Delhi will not engage in talks with Islamabad for as long as it poses a threat to India's security, Indian National Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said on Wednesday.
The escalation between the two South Asian neighbors began on May 7, when India launched Operation Sindoor, a series of strikes on suspected terrorist facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Tharoor, who is leading an all-party delegation to the US, said he believes that America understands India's firm stance that there will be "no talks with a gun pointed at our head."
Speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, he also warned that the action taken by India in the aftermath of the April 22 attack on its citizens in the Indian-administered Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir can be taken again if Pakistan does not control terrorist elements on its soil. New Delhi said it was targeting terrorist bases in response to the attack in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 people, mainly tourists.
The Resistance Front, believed to be linked to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, initially claimed responsibility for the attack, but later denied involvement. Islamabad has denied having any involvement. After a brief but intense conflict, the two nuclear-armed nations announced a ceasefire on May 10.
Shortly before New Delhi and Islamabad announced the truce, US President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social account that the two nations had agreed to immediately cease hostilities "after a long night of talks mediated by the United States."
On Wednesday, when asked about the role of the US in facilitating peace talks, Tharoor said that New Delhi's stance is clear: it will not negotiate when threatened with violence. He emphasized that this doesn't mean India is opposed to talking to Pakistan, but rather that it refuses to do so while under duress.
According to Tharoor, the goal of the visit is to convey New Delhi's stance on the recent escalation with Pakistan, without seeking any specific actions from the American side. New Delhi has sent seven teams to over 30 countries to counter what it perceives as poor media coverage regarding the confrontation with Islamabad.
Simultaneously, a Pakistani delegation, led by former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, has been ordered by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to "expose Indian propaganda," state-run Pakistan Radio reported in May.
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