Shashi Tharoor in Bogota: ‘Disappointed’ with Colombia govt’s condolences for Pakistan

The all-party delegation leader and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor expressed his disappointment with the Colombian government for its condolences of deaths in Pakistan after the Indian strikes. He was addressing a press briefing in the Colombian capital, Bogota, on Thursday, May 29.Tharoor further stated that there could be no similarity between the perpetrators of terrorism and those who defend themselves from it, while also calling out the Colombian government for not sympathising with the Indian victims.
“I have to say that 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 said.

#WATCH | Bogotá, Colombia | Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, “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… pic.twitter.com/AgpOMpNpSt

– years (@ani) May 30, 2025

“We will say to our friends in Colombia, there can be no equivalence between those who dispatch terrorists and those who resist them. There can be no equivalence between those who attack and those who defend. We are only exercising our right of self-defence, and if there is any misunderstanding here on this call, we are here to dispel any such misunderstanding. We’re very happy to talk to Colombia in some detail about the circumstances,” he added.

The delegation leader further said that Pakistan is a “breeding ground” of terrorism while highlighting that Colombia has endured the terror attacks like India as well.

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“There is no doubt as to where this came from, and we will reserve the right to hit back. Just as Colombia has endured many terror attacks, so have we in India. We have endured a very large number of attacks for almost four decades,” Tharoor said.

“Frankly, it is now very well established that Pakistan has been breeding the monsters of terrorism for a very long time for their purposes,” he added.

Tharoor in a post on X (formerly Twitter) later said that the press conference led to a great deal of interest in the Latin American country.

A very good turnout at our press conference yesterday has sparked off a great deal of interest in our delegation’s mission in Colombia. Augurs well for the very full day that looms ahead. pic.twitter.com/mfPYnlmSnC

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 30, 2025