Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, while addressing a community event in New York on Saturday, launched a sharp criticism of Pakistan’s handling of terrorism, citing the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack as a turning point. Speaking as part of a multi-party delegation promoting India’s anti-terror stance globally, Shashi Tharoor said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s December 2015 visit to Pakistan was a final gesture of goodwill, which Islamabad failed to reciprocate.
Shashi Tharoor Slams Pakistani Investigators’ Role
“In January [2016], there was an attack on the Indian Air Base, and our Prime Minister had just made a visit to Pakistan the previous month,” Shashi Tharoor said. “Imagine the horror of the Indian military establishment when Pakistani investigators were allowed into our airbases, only for them to return home and blame Indians for the attack.”
The Pathankot terror attack, carried out on January 2, 2016, saw four heavily armed militants from the United Jihad Council breach the Indian Air Force’s Western Command base. Seven Indian security personnel were killed in the confrontation. The attack came just days after Modi’s surprise Christmas Day visit to Lahore, where he met then-Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif a move widely seen as an attempt to revive stalled peace talks.
Pakistan Failed to Honour Probe Agreement says Shashi Tharoor
Following the attack, a Pakistani Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was granted unprecedented access to the airbase to conduct a probe. India’s National Investigation Agency was meant to carry out a reciprocal visit, but Pakistan reneged on the agreement and failed to share any meaningful evidence, further straining diplomatic ties.
Speaking at the event hosted by the Consulate General of India in New York and attended by members of the Indian-American community, media professionals, and policy experts, Shashi Tharoor reiterated India’s position: “We didn’t want to start anything. We were just sending a message to terrorists.”
Global Outreach Against Terrorism
The New York stop was part of India’s broader diplomatic campaign titled “Taking Bharat’s Message to the World,” aimed at consolidating international support against terrorism and exposing Pakistan’s alleged complicity. Seven all-party delegations have been dispatched to 33 capitals globally following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that left 26 civilians dead.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar expressed appreciation for the delegations, posting on X: “India stands together in declaring zero tolerance for terrorism.”
In Bahrain, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi emphasized that India’s message is unified across party lines. “The terrorists have justified the killing of innocent people in India… there is no difference between terrorists in Pakistan and the ISIS takfiri ideology,” he said.
Parallel delegations in South Korea, Slovenia, and Qatar echoed this sentiment. In Seoul, JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha discussed “Operation Sindoor” India’s retaliatory airstrikes following the Pahalgam attack. In Doha, NCP MP Supriya Sule met with Qatari lawmakers, while DMK MP Kanimozhi led engagements in Slovenia.
Military Tensions and Diplomatic Resolution
The coordinated diplomatic push comes in the wake of escalating military tensions, which saw India conduct airstrikes on May 7 targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Retaliatory Pakistani attempts to strike Indian military sites on May 8, 9, and 10 were firmly repelled. The standoff was defused following DGMO-level talks on May 10.
All delegations have underscored the role of the Indian diaspora as a “force multiplier,” urging communities abroad to shape global discourse on terrorism and amplify India’s position.
