Subhechcha Ganguly 
Speaking at the Indian Consulate in New York, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the recent terror attack in Pahalgam was intended to create division among Indians, but instead fostered national unity across religious and social lines.
Tharoor, currently leading an all-party Indian delegation to the United States as part of a diplomatic outreach following Operation Sindoor, addressed India’s response to the April 22 attack in which 26 people — mostly tourists — were killed. The delegation includes MPs from multiple parties including the BJP, JMM, and TDP.
“Though I don’t work for the government — I’m with the Opposition — I had written in a national daily that it was time for India to hit hard and hit smart. That’s exactly what the country did,” Tharoor said, referring to India’s strong retaliation to the attack, allegedly backed by Pakistan.
He emphasized the unity the attack inadvertently created: “There was an extraordinary amount of togetherness cutting across religious and social divides. The intention was malign, but the result was national solidarity.”
On Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7 to avenge the Pahalgam killings, Tharoor praised India’s precise and calibrated strikes targeting nine known terror camps in Pakistan and PoK, including those linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad.
“The strikes sent a clear message: India won’t tolerate terrorism. Yet, by targeting specific terror bases, India also made it clear this was an act of retribution — not the beginning of a wider war,” Tharoor asserted.
The remarks underline India’s diplomatic positioning post-attack, as the country seeks global support in its fight against cross-border terrorism.
