We will not hold dialogues with people who are pointing gun at our heads: Shashi Tharoor
Tharoor emphasised that the all-party parliamentary delegation is in the US to enhance understanding and clarify India's stance and explain if there are any misapprehensions on the part of interlocutors. He said that all the arty delegation just wants to explain India's stance, and they do not want nations to do anything other than to understand India's point of view.
When asked about the outcomes agreed upon or India expects from this visit in terms of US action with regards to Pakistan, he responded, "We aren't really here to negotiate outcomes. That's the job of the government. Our job is to enhance understanding, to clarify our position and to explain if there are any questions or misapprehensions on the part of our interlocutors, we'd be very happy to address them. There wasn't a specific seek on our part beyond that. It's not that we've come here saying, would you do this for us? That's not what this is all about and that's true by the way every country we've been to."
"We're just saying, this is our position, we want you to understand, and if you have any questions, we'll answer them, but that's it. We're not asking them to do anything other than to understand our point of view, to express their solidarity and to stand with us if it happens again. I mean, we have no illusions. These buildings we've destroyed and the terror camps can be built again in six months, nine months, who knows? The problem is, if they think they can keep doing this to us, they've got another thing coming because we are not going to take it. If they hit us, we will hit them back. And we want the world to understand not only what just happened, but what could happen again if Pakistan does not control these elements on its soil," he added.
The delegation led by Tharoor arrived in the US on Wednesday. The 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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
20 minutes ago
- Hans India
India's global engagement needs rethink, says Congress
New Delhi: Congress leader Supriya Shrinate, in a press briefing on Friday, expressed concern over what she described as a decline in India's diplomatic engagement and visibility on the global stage. She specifically referred to India's absence from major forums like the G7, despite being among the world's largest economies. Shrinate cited then-US President Barack Obama's 2010 remarks in praise of then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and questioned why countries like Canada now appear hesitant to extend invitations to India for the G7. She interpreted this as a sign of waning diplomatic influence. She also referred to public statements made by US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly claimed to have brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. The Congress spokesperson further said that similar assertions are now being echoed by Russia. She urged the Indian government to respond clearly to these claims, either by refuting them or explaining the context if they are accurate. "The nation deserves clarity," she said, stressing the importance of transparency in foreign affairs. Shrinate also voiced apprehensions over what she viewed as a preference for image-building over substantive diplomacy. She warned against focusing too heavily on symbolic gestures or visual narratives. She, in this context, suggested that a more strategic and consistent foreign policy is needed to safeguard national interests. She expressed concern over "the evolving global perception" of Pakistan. Institutions like the IMF, the ADB, and the World Bank, she noted, have extended significant financial support to Pakistan, while the country has also assumed roles in global bodies such as the UN's Counter-Terrorism Committee. In her view, this is at odds with India's long-standing position on terrorism and reflects a missed opportunity for stronger international advocacy. Commenting on recent international outreach by Indian parliamentary delegations, Shrinate questioned the effectiveness of such efforts. She pointed out that many of these visits resulted in meetings with lower-level officials or Indian diaspora groups, rather than influential foreign leaders or decision-makers. "We need to assess what tangible outcomes these visits have achieved," she remarked. Turning to domestic matters with international implications, Shrinate referred to the tragic terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which claimed the lives of 26 individuals. She questioned the timing of the Prime Minister's visit to Jammu and Kashmir, suggesting that it came more as part of a ceremonial event than a response to the tragedy. She expressed disappointment that "national security concerns in sensitive regions are not always met with prompt or visible engagement". Shrinate also commented on alleged shifts in India's traditional alliances, pointing to what she called Russia's recent cooperation with Pakistan. She warned that regional dynamics are changing, with China and Pakistan strengthening ties—a development, she said, that has long been cautioned against by opposition leaders. When asked about Congress MPs, including Shashi Tharoor, who participated in foreign delegations and later described the visits as positive, Shrinate acknowledged the complexities of international diplomacy. She explained that while representatives may exercise restraint abroad, there remains a responsibility to ask hard questions back home. She cited Kuwait's recent decision to lift a 19-year visa ban on Pakistan shortly after an Indian delegation's visit, suggesting this raised legitimate questions about diplomatic impact. A key concern she highlighted was the apparent reluctance to hold comprehensive discussions in Parliament on foreign policy matters, while simultaneously prioritising engagement with Indian communities abroad. "There seems to be a disconnect between domestic accountability and international outreach," she said. The Congress spokesperson stressed the need for a more grounded and outcome-driven foreign policy approach. In her view, the current trajectory risks sidelining India's voice in global conversations, despite its growing economic stature.
India Today
24 minutes ago
- India Today
AMCA Explained: How India Plans to Build Its Own Stealth Fighter Ft. Sandeep Unnithan
India's next-gen stealth fighter, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), just got a massive push from the government with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh clearing an execution model for the jet's design and development. On this episode of In Our Defence, veteran defence journalist Sandeep Unnithan breaks down what this means for the future of Indian airpower, how private players like Tata and L&T could shape the aircraft production ecosystem, and what role the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is likely to play. Sandeep also decodes the different generations of fighter aircraft, detailing what makes a fifth-generation jet stand out from the current crop of Indian Air Force jets such as the Rafales, Tejas, Sukhois and Mirages, among others. The episode also features a discussion on India's attempts to develop its own fighter jet engine and how that quest -- unsuccessful so far -- becomes all the more important for the AMCA. Produced by Prateek Lidhoo Sound mix by Rohan Bharti
Time of India
27 minutes ago
- Time of India
Indian envoy to China meets top Chinese foreign ministry official, discuss bilateral ties
Top diplomats from India and China discussed bilateral relations to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries last year, the foreign ministry here said on Friday. The meeting between Indian Ambassador to China Pradeep Kumar Rawat and China's Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong on Thursday is the first diplomatic engagement between the two countries post the Operation Sindoor . Both sides expressed their willingness to work together to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, the Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said. The two sides are also working out ways to promote cultural exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation, properly manage differences, and promote the development of China-India relations along a healthy and stable track, it said. The two sides also exchanged views on the issues of common concern, the statement added. Live Events Sun is the former Chinese Ambassador to India and currently Chinese Foreign Ministry's pointsman on South Asia. Thursday's meeting also took place as the two countries are finalising preparations to resume the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra in Tibet for the Indian pilgrims. The Yatra, when it starts, would be the first among the steps being initiated by the two countries after normalising the relations after over four-year long military standoff in eastern Ladakh, which had brought the ties to a standstill. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on April 26 that the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is set to take place from June to August via two routes -- Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand and Nathu La in Sikkim. The Yatra was suspended initially in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently because of the military standoff in eastern Ladakh. Following complete disengagement of troops at Demchok and Depsang under a pact sealed in October last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meeting at Russia's Kazan agreed to revive various bilateral dialogue mechanisms. The two sides then held a series of meetings in the last few months aimed at normalising the bilateral relations. Earlier, Rawat and Sun had met on April 9 and exchanged views on bilateral ties and cooperation in various fields. Thursday's meeting between the two diplomats comes amid Operation Sindoor that India launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that saw 26 people dead. Tensions between India and Pakistan, Beijing's all-weather ally, escalated after the Pahalgam terror attack, with India carrying out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7. The four days of on-ground hostilities from both sides ended with an understanding of stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10. The Rawat-Sun meeting also took place amid growing concerns in India over China's export controls on the rare earth metals. According to the International Energy Agency, currently China accounts for 61 per cent of global mined rare earth production, but controls 92 per cent of the global output. Rare earths are a group of metals consisting of 17 elements.
