‘Pakistanis came in Indian Airways… blamed India': Shashi Tharoor tells when Pak lost ‘last' opportunity
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, leading one of the multi-party delegations representing India's stance against terrorism, addressed a community event in New York on Saturday, where he recalled the 2016 Pathankot air base attack.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise visit to Pakistan in December 2015, Tharoor said it was a final opportunity for Islamabad to demonstrate sincerity in fighting terrorism.
He criticised the handling of the probe, noting that Pakistani investigators were allowed to visit Indian airbases but returned home blaming Indians for the attack.
'In January [2016]… there was an attack on Indian Air Base, and our Prime Minister had just made a visit to Pakistan the previous month [December 2015]...So when this happened, he was so astonished that he actually called the Pakistani Prime Minister and said, Why don't you join the investigation? Let's solve who's doing this...imagine the horror of the Indian military establishment with this idea that Pakistani investigators would come to Indian airways, but, they came and they went back to Pakistan and said, all the Indians did it to themselves...I am afraid for us, 2015 was the last opportunity for them to behave, to cooperate, to really show they were serious about ending terror, as they claimed every time that they were,' Tharoor said.
The Pathankot terror attack occurred on January 2, 2016—just days after then Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to Pakistan to meet his counterpart Nawaz Sharif on December 25, 2015. On the day of the attack, four militants belonging to the United Jihad Council breached the high-security Pathankot Air Force Station, which is part of the Indian Air Force's Western Air Command. In the ensuing gun battle, all four militants and two Indian security personnel were killed, while another officer later died from injuries sustained during the encounter.
Following the attack a Pakistani Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was granted access to the Indian Air Force base to gather evidence with assistance from Indian agencies. It had been agreed that an NIA team would reciprocate with a visit to Pakistan, but Islamabad failed to honour the arrangement and did not share any evidence with India.
Speaking at the interaction organised by the Consulate General of India in New York—attended by influential Indian-Americans and representatives from leading media and think tanks—Tharoor reiterated India's clear message to Pakistan: 'We didn't want to start anything. We were just sending a message to terrorists.'
The New York leg of the delegation's programme is part of India's broader diplomatic initiative to strengthen global alliances, promote its anti-terrorism stance, and foster collaboration on international security and counter-terrorism strategies.
All the multi-party delegations described the Indian diaspora as a 'force multiplier' and urged its members to influence both public and political discourse in their respective countries to highlight India's position on fighting terrorism.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar acknowledged the efforts of these delegations, posting on X: 'India stands together in declaring zero tolerance for terrorism.'
These delegations are part of India's broader initiative involving seven multi-party teams sent to 33 global capitals to communicate India's stand on terrorism and expose Pakistan's alleged role.
In Bahrain, one such delegation met with Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, briefing him about the threat of cross-border terrorism and India's determination to counter it.
AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, part of the Bahrain delegation, responded to a question saying, 'Our government has sent us here, and various other delegations comprising all party members across various parts of the world, so that the world knows of the threat that India has been facing.'
He added, 'The terrorists have justified killings of innocent people in India. …. In our opinion, there is no difference between terrorists in Pakistan and ISIS takfiri ideology.'
Other Indian teams visited countries such as South Korea and Slovenia to brief officials on India's zero-tolerance approach following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians.
In South Korea, a delegation led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha discussed Operation Sindoor—India's military response to the Pahalgam attack—with the Indian diaspora, offering insight into the campaign.
In Doha, an all-party delegation led by NCP MP Supriya Sule met Qatari lawmakers, including Dr. Hamda Al Sulaiti, Deputy Speaker of the Qatar Shura Council, taking 'India's strong message against terrorism to the world!'
Meanwhile, a delegation led by DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi arrived in Slovenia as part of the outreach mission titled 'Taking Bharat's message to the world.'
All delegations stressed that the Indian diaspora is a 'force multiplier' and called upon them to raise awareness about India's anti-terror stance in their countries of residence.
These diplomatic efforts come in the wake of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan after the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people. In response, India conducted precision airstrikes as part of Operation Sindoor targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7.
Pakistan retaliated by attempting strikes on Indian military installations on May 8, 9, and 10, to which India responded firmly.
The conflict was de-escalated after the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) from both nations held talks on May 10, resulting in an agreement to halt further military action.
(With ANI, PTI inputs)
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