Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has dismissed US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that the United States persuaded India to halt military operations against Pakistan. Tharoor, currently leading an all-party delegation abroad, clarified that India never needed to be persuaded to stop the conflict because it never sought war in the first place.
Speaking from Washington after concluding a multi-nation diplomatic outreach tour that included Brazil, Tharoor reiterated that India’s military action, termed Operation Sindoor, was strictly a counter-terrorism response and not an escalation towards war. “This is not the opening salvo in some sort of war. All it is, is retribution against the terrorists—period. If Pakistan had not reacted, we wouldn’t have reacted,” he stated.
The Congress MP firmly underlined India’s consistent message of peace, development, and zero tolerance for terrorism. “We don’t want war. We want peace. That’s the basic message,” he said, adding that any persuasion efforts by the US administration would likely have been directed at Pakistan, not India.
Operation Sindoor: A Precise Retaliation, Not a War Effort
Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which left 26 civilians dead. The Indian armed forces carried out precise strikes on nine terror training facilities across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, targeting outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba. Over 100 militants were reportedly killed in the operation.
According to Indian officials, the ceasefire understanding that came into effect on May 10 was not the result of external pressure, but a direct military communication between the DGMOs of both nations. Pakistan’s DGMO had reached out via hotline to India’s Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai to request a halt to the escalating military exchange.
This clarification comes after Donald Trump once again claimed on his Truth Social platform that he “brokered” the ceasefire and helped avoid a nuclear crisis by offering trade incentives to both nations.
India’s Global Outreach and the Bipartisan Push for Peace
As part of India’s global diplomatic campaign, seven all-party delegations were formed to represent the nation’s unified stance against terrorism. Tharoor’s team, comprising members from BJP, Shiv Sena, JMM, TDP and others, has already visited Guyana, Panama, Colombia, and Brazil before arriving in the United States.
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Interestingly, a Pakistani delegation is also present in Washington at the same time, drawing global diplomatic attention. “They’re focusing on a few key capitals—Washington, Brussels, London. We’ve gone to all those and more,” Tharoor noted.
He also stressed that India’s ties with the US go beyond the recent conflict. “Whether it comes to trade, defence, intelligence sharing, participation in the QUAD or G20, there are just so many avenues where we cooperate with the US,” he said.
Tharoor further noted that while India respects the office of the American president, “our understanding of the situation is a bit different.” He emphasized the need to keep India’s narrative alive in global forums and international media. “If we can get the attention of those who care about terrorism and the region, we can get our message across very easily,” he said.
