Colombia has withdrawn its statement condoling the deaths in Pakistan during India’s Operation Sindoor, following strong objections from Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. The move comes after Tharoor, who is leading a multi-party Indian parliamentary delegation to the Americas, voiced disappointment over Colombia’s earlier message, which expressed sympathy for casualties in Pakistan rather than for the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack in India.
Operation Sindoor and the Diplomatic Row
On 7 May, India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting nine terror launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as a direct response to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. The Indian Air Force also destroyed 11 Pakistani airbases after Pakistan attempted to retaliate on 8, 9, and 10 May. Colombia’s initial statement had offered condolences for the loss of lives in Pakistan, which Indian officials saw as ignoring the context of terrorism and India’s right to self-defence.
Shashi Tharoor, addressing the media in Bogotá, made it clear that there can be no moral equivalence between those who dispatch terrorists and those who defend their nation. He said India was only exercising its right of self-defence and highlighted the evidence linking the Pahalgam attack to Pakistan-based terror outfits. Tharoor also pointed out that Pakistan’s military and police personnel had attended the funerals of terrorists, underlining the complicity between the state and terror groups.
Colombia’s Reversal After Indian Delegation’s Outreach
Following a detailed meeting between the Indian delegation and Colombia’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio, the Colombian government decided to retract its earlier statement. The Vice Minister assured the Indian side that Colombia now fully understood India’s position and had withdrawn the statement that caused concern. Tharoor welcomed this move, stating that Colombia’s new understanding and support were highly valued by India.
The Indian delegation’s visit to Colombia is part of a larger global outreach, with teams sent to 33 capitals to explain India’s stance after the Pahalgam attack and to counter Pakistan’s narrative.After Colombia, the group will continue its diplomatic mission in Brazil and the United States.
The episode highlights India’s proactive diplomatic efforts to ensure the international community recognises the difference between victims of terrorism and those who shelter or support terrorists. Colombia’s change of stance is being seen as a diplomatic win for India and a clear message against attempts to equate counter-terror operations with acts of terror themselves.
