"Not trying to start a war, just conducting retribution for act of terror": Shashi Tharoor on Operation Sindoor

Brasilia [Brazil], June 2 (ANI): Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who is leading the all-party delegation, said on Monday that the whole idea of Operation Sindoor was to signal that India is not trying to start war, but just conducting "retribution for an act of terror," in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.

This comes during his interaction with Ambassador Celso Amorim, Head Adviser of the Special Advisory to the President of the Republic in Brasilia.

"The whole idea was to signal that we are not trying to start a war, we are just conducting retribution for an act of terror, which was a really vile act, 26 people being killed...It was horrendous and it was meant to do the maximum possible damage to India, to disrupt the Kashmiri economy, which was booming, to end the prospects of tourism flourishing in Kashmir...also to perhaps create a communal backlash in India...," Tharoor said.

The Congress leader highlighted India's strong stance against terrorism, saying that they have come here to understand the understanding on the part of friends and countries that are not necessarily our friends.

" The reason we have come is very much to seek greater sympathy and understanding on the part of our friends, and also countries that are not necessarily our friend, but you are in the high friend category, for the situations in the recent months in particular the really serious attack on country by terrorists in Kashmir...I must say that, seeing the statement by Brazil, we were also very touched by President telephoning our PM, personally, to express his concern and condolences...there was no action to bring the perpetrators to justice and even to look for them in Pakistan...so finally govt decided to send a strong a message...," Tharoor further said.

Tharoor talked of Pakistan's pressure to remove references to TRF, a front for LeT, in UN Security Council press statement on April 25. TRF had claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam terror attack.

"...LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) has created this front called Resistance Front, we have been reporting about Resistance Front to UN Sanctions Committee, time after time...when India encouraged our friends on Security Council to mention the Resistance Front in the press statement that Security Council issued...Pakistan govt, I am sorry to say that with the support of your friend in China, took out the name, so there is not even a reference...we are not on the Security Council, neither are you. We have to change that situation. Both of us should be on the Council together," he said.

A group calling itself The Resistance Front (TRF) has claimed responsibility for the attack. This group is a front for the UN-proscribed Pakistani terrorist group, Lashkar-e-Taiba. Notably, India had given inputs about the TRF in the half-yearly report to the Monitoring Team of the UN's 1267 Sanctions Committee in May and November 2024, bringing out its role as a cover for Pakistan-based terrorist groups. Earlier too, in December 2023, India had informed the monitoring team about LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammad operating through small terror groups such as the TRF. Pakistan's pressure to remove references to TRF in the April 25 UN Security Council Press Statement is notable in this regard.

On June 1, the delegation led by Tharoor was welcomed by Sandeep Kumar Kujur, Charge d'Affaires of the Indian Embassy in Brazil after landing there. The delegation is set to leave for United States tomorrow. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)