India achieved a diplomatic victory as Colombia retracted its previous statement expressing condolences to Pakistan following Indian military actions on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) after the Pahalgam terror attack.
In a significant diplomatic achievement for India, Colombia withdrew its earlier statement sympathising with Pakistan over alleged loss of lives following Indian strikes in response to the Pahalgam terror attack after an Indian delegation led by Shashi Tharoor exposed Islamabad.
During his visit to Colombia, a country in far-off South America, as part of a global outreach programme after Operation Sindoor, Tharoor had expressed dismay over the country’s stand.
“There is no equivalence possible between terrorists on the one hand and innocent civilians on the other. There is no equivalence between those who attack our country and those who defend their own country, and our only disappointment with the earlier statement by Colombia was that it seemed to have overlooked this difference,” Tharoor said after meeting MP Alejandro Toro, President of the Second Commission of the Chamber of Representatives.
“We’re very pleased to learn that that statement has been withdrawn as you’ve also mentioned, and we are also very pleased that you, as representatives of the people of Colombia, are determined to stand with us for our sovereignty, for peace in the world…” he added.
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio in Bogota, said that “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…”.
Earlier, Shashi Tharoor said, “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 is leading the delegation to Colombia as part of India’s global outreach to expose Pakistan’s support for cross-border terrorist activities and India’s policy of zero-tolerance for terrorism. Other members of the delegation include Tejasvu Surya (BJP), Bhubaneswar Kalita (BJP), Milind Deora (Shiv Sena), Shambhavi (LJP), GM Harish Balayogi (TDP) and former ambassador of India to US Taranjit Singh Sandhu.
