Colombia withdrawsstatement offeringcondolences to Pak: Tharoor

 

 

COLOMBIA has withdrawn a statement offering condolences to Pakistan for the loss of lives following India’s military strikes in response to the Pahalgam attack after an Indian parliamentary delegation explained Islamabad’s relentless support to cross-border terrorism. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, leading an all-party delegation to the South American country, confirmed Bogota’s withdrawal of the controversial statement after meeting Vice Foreign Minister Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio.

 

In the last two days, the ninememberdelegationheldaseries ofmeetingswithColumbia’ssenior political brass, apprising India’s policy of “zero tolerance for terrorism” and its retaliatory strikes against terror infrastructure on Pakistani soil following the April 22 Pahalgam attack. “Begantodaywithanexcellent meeting with the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio, and her senior colleagues dealing with the Asia-Pacific,” Tharoor said in a social media post. “I expressed India’s view of recent events and voiced disappointment at Colombia’s statementonMay8conveying‘heartfelt condolences’ to Pakistan,” he said.

 

“The Minister assured me that the statement had been withdrawnand that ourposition was now properly understood and strongly supported,” the Congress MP added. At a media briefing on Thursday, Tharoor voiced his deep disappointment over Colombia offering condolences for the loss of lives in Pakistan followingIndia’smilitaryactions. However, there was no official word from New Delhi on Colombia’s position following India’sOperationSindoorandits withdrawal of the statement. Indiahassentsevenseparatedelegations to different parts of the globe to apprise the key countries about Pakistan’s relentless support to cross-border terrorism and circumstances leading toitslaunchofOperationSindoor.