Congress MP Shashi Tharoor meets former Colombian President Cesar Augusto Gaviria Trujillo
Bogota [Colombia], May 30 (ANI): All-Party Delegation Leader and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said met with former President Cesar Augusto Gaviria Trujillo, leader of the Colombian Liberal Party.
Speaking to ANI, Former Colombian President Cesar Augusto Gaviria Trujillo expressed Colombia's solidarity with India, stating that the country rejects any form of terrorism.
Trujillo said, 'I want to express to all the people of India that Colombia has solidarity with India. We are your friends and partners. We reject any kind of terrorist. Be certain that under any circumstances or situation, we will be on your side...'
In a diplomatic outreach following Operation Sindoor, the Modi government has formed seven multi-party delegations to inform nations about Pakistan's links to terrorism and India's strong message of zero tolerance for terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
Earlier, Shashi Tharoor said that he was disappointed with the Colombian government, as they condoled the deaths of Pakistanis in Indian strikes, instead of sympathising with the victims of the terror attack in India.
Tharoor said that there can be no equivalence between perpetrators of terrorism and those who resist it.
'I have to say that 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,' he said.
Tharoor added that his delegation is here to clear the air and explain India's stance to Colombia- how India exercised its right to self-defence.
Tharoor also explained how Pakistan-based 'The Resistance Front', a unit of Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack twice.
'We have, as I said, very concrete proof. When this terrorist attack occurred, it was immediately claimed by an organisation called The Resistance Front, which is a unit of the Lashkar-e-Taiba based in Muridke, Pakistan. There is no doubt that they reiterated this credit the next day. It is only after their handlers realised the damage this could do that they then deleted the claim two days later, but the claim has been made,' he said.
In a post on X, Tharoor said, 'Our Colombia visit got underway today with a briefing to the delegation from our Ambassador, Vanlalhuma, followed by a well-attended press interaction with more than a dozen local media outlets. I then interviewed with Colombian journalist Juan Camillo Ramirez. Getting the message out where it needs to be heard!'
The Tharoor-led multiparty delegation includes Shambhavi Chaudhary (Lok Janshakti Party), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), G M Harish Balayogi (Telugu Desam Party), Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejaswi Surya, Bhubaneswar Kalita (all from BJP), Mallikarjun Devda (Shiv Sena), former Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, and Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora.
The all-party delegation, consisting of representatives from seven national political groups, was initiated to counter Pakistan's misinformation and underscore India's zero-tolerance policy on terrorism. (ANI)
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