Bogota (Colombia), June 1 (IANS) An all-party Parliamentary delegation, led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, departed from Colombia on Saturday (local time) for Brazil, after concluding a successful and meaningful visit here, as part of India’s efforts under Operation Sindoor to reach out to partner countries to highlight its firm stance in the fight against cross-border terrorism and its zero tolerance policy against terror.
The Indian Embassy in Colombia said that India’s steadfast commitment to fighting terrorism in all its forms was conveyed in the clearest terms, adding that Operation Sindoor stands as a testament to India’s zero-tolerance approach — there can be no coexistence between terror and dialogue as well as between trade and bloodshed.
“The All-Party Parliamentary Delegation, headed by MP, Shashi Tharoor, departs Colombia after a successful and meaningful visit. India’s steadfast commitment to fighting terrorism in all its forms was conveyed in the clearest terms. Operation Sindoor stands as a testament to India’s zero-tolerance approach — there can be no coexistence between terror and dialogue, between trade and bloodshed,” the Indian Embassy in Colombia said on Saturday on social media platform X.
Earlier on Friday, the Indian Embassy in Colombia in another X post wrote: ” Indian Ambassador to Colombia, Vanlalhuma, hosted a reception for the visiting all-party Parliamentary Delegation. Members interacted with the Indian diaspora & Colombian citizens, highlighting India’s resolute stand against terrorism and new strategies to counter cross-border terror.”
Apart from Shashi Tharoor, the delegation, comprising MPs — Shambhavi of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Sarfraz Ahmad of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, GM Harish Balayogi of the Telugu Desam Party, Shashank Mani Tripathi of the BJP, Milind Murli Deora of the Shiv Sena, Bhubaneswar Kalita of the BJP, Tejasvi Surya of the BJP, and accompanied by Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu, arrived in Colombia on May 26 evening, as part of the Indian government’s broader diplomatic initiative under Operation Sindoor.
Earlier on Friday, taking to his official X account, Tharoor wrote: “The only way to achieve peace is for Pakistan to end its terrorist acts and for those identified as perpetrators of these acts, which have left only death and devastation in their wake, to be punished.”
BJP MP Bhubaneswar Kalita, a member of the all-party delegation led by Congress MP Tharoor, said on X: “India’s all-party delegation continues its global outreach to build consensus against #terrorism. In #Colombia, held meaningful talks with key leaders of the National Congress who expressed strong support for India’s sovereignty & resolute stand against terrorism.”
Another delegation member and Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora on X wrote: “Our visit to #Colombia ended on a high note with a lovely reception hosted by Indian Ambassador to Colombia, Vanlalhuma, and his gracious wife in #Bogota. I also finally caught up with my close friend Simon Gaviria Munoz, who’s been a tremendous help throughout our visit. A true friend of India! India-Colombia #OperationSindoor.”
Earlier on Friday, Colombia’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio has said that her country was withdrawing its inadvertent statement expressing condolences over the deaths in Pakistan from ‘Operation Sindoor’, according to Congress MP Tharoor, who is leading the Parliamentary delegation.
“The vice minister very graciously mentioned they have withdrawn the statement that we had expressed concern about, and that they fully understand our position on the matter, which is something we really value,” Tharoor told the media after their meeting here on Friday.
Tharoor had earlier expressed disappointment with Colombia’s statement that appeared to give the impression of a false equivalency between the terrorists killed by ‘Operation Sindoor’ and their victims in Pahalgam.
With Tharoor standing alongside, Villavicencio said, “We are very confident that with the explanations that we received today and with the detailed information that we now have regarding the real situation on what happened in Kashmir, we can now follow and continue the dialogue.”
Getting the message of the impact of terrorism to Colombia, a country that had suffered its ravages, is significant as it is expected to take a seat on the UN Security Council next year.
It is running unopposed for the Latin American seat in next week’s election.
During a meeting with Colombian media on Thursday, Tharoor said that India was “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” in Jammu and Kashmir.
Instead of taking exception to the criticism, Colombia immediately took note of India’s concerns about the statement issued before having a full understanding of the situation, and acted to mitigate it.
Setting the stage for the withdrawal of Colombia’s statement on Pakistan, former President Cesar Augusto Gaviria Trujillo, a leader of the largest party in Congress, said on Thursday, “Colombia has solidarity with India. We check any kind of terrorism, (and) be certain that under any circumstances, we will be on your side.”
The delegation has made headway on creating a nuanced understanding of the situation after the Pahalgam massacre by The Resistance Front, an affiliate of Lashkar-e-Toiba that is based in Pakistan and backed by it, and the rationale for ‘Operation Sindoor’.
–IANS
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