A group of US Congressmen on Wednesday expressed unequivocal and bipartisan condemnation for the Pahalgam terror attack and extended support for India’s right to respond to terrorism in the spirit of zero tolerance against terrorism.
The lawmakers also hailed the strong strategic partnership between India and the US during a meeting with an all-party delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who briefed them on the cross-border terrorism faced by India and the country’s strong and resolute stance in the fight against terror.
“Bipartisan co-chairs @RoKhanna & @RepMcCormick and vice co-chairs @RepAndyBarr & @RepVeasey of India Caucus in the House of Representatives met with the visiting Parliamentary delegation led by @ShashiTharoor today,” the Indian Embassy said in a post on X.
The parliamentary delegation briefed the Caucus members on the cross-border terrorism faced by India and New Delhi’s strong and resolute stance in the fight against terror, it said.
“The Congressmen expressed unequivocal and bipartisan condemnation for the terror attack in Pahalgam. They expressed support for India’s right to respond to terrorism in the spirit of zero tolerance against terrorism,” the Indian mission said.
The all-party delegation also held candid and fruitful exchanges with House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) leadership.
“Chair @RepBrianMast, Ranking Member @RepGregoryMeeks, South and Central Asia Subcommittee Chair @RepHuizenga, Ranking Member @RepKamlagerDove, Ranking Member @RepBera and East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee @RepYoungKim greeted the delegation,” the Indian Embassy said in another post on X.
The parliamentary delegation briefed the committee members on the success of Operation Sindoor in defining a new normal in India’s fight against cross-border terrorism.
The committee leadership condemned the Pahalgam attack unequivocally and said India and USA stand together in their unwavering resolve and fight against terrorism in all its forms.
The delegation is one of the seven multi-party delegations India had tasked to visit 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community to emphasise Pakistan’s links to terrorism.
Other members of the delegation are Sarfaraz Ahmad (JMM), Ganti Harish Madhur Balayogi (TDP), Shashank Mani Tripathi (BJP), Bhubaneswar Kalita (BJP), Milind Deora (Shiv Sena), Tejasvi Surya (BJP) and India’s former Ambassador to the US Taranjit Sandhu.
The delegation has travelled to Guyana, Panama, Colombia and Brazil before arriving in Washington on the last leg of its tour.
In its interactions in the US, the delegation will convey India’s resolve against terrorism and emphasise Pakistan’s links to terrorism.
Speaking to PTI, delegation member Deora said that the group in the US, as well as those visiting other regions and countries, is telling the world that “India has had enough.”
He said that every country they visited so far “issued very unequivocal, I would almost say, unconditional, statements in favour of India.”
“We want to live in peace. We would prefer it if we have a stable neighbour. Nobody wants an unstable lunatic living next to you,” he said.
Another delegation member Surya told PTI that there is absolutely no sympathy towards Pakistani-originated terrorism.
The countries the delegation visited have “very clearly understood why India was constrained to respond militarily in the way it did, and have supported India’s counterterrorism measure.”
On a Pakistani delegation arriving in Washington the same day, Deora said, “There is no doubt in anyone’s mind in the United States that Pakistan is a banana republic, a failed state, a terror exporter, a country where the civilian government has no power, (it’s) the army that controls the power. So I don’t think that it matters to India that there’s a Pakistani delegation trying to play copy and paste.”
Surya also said that it was not the “first time that the Pakistanis tried to copy India in what India tries to do, but they end up a cheap copy.”
He said that the world has long observed what India stands for and what Pakistan stands for.
Investing in India, he said, is seen as an investment in democracy, responsible civilian leadership and global progress. On the other hand, he noted that every terrorist attack in the last 20-30 years that has rocked the world has had investigations directly or indirectly leading to Pakistan.
He added that over 50 UN-designated terrorists have formed a safe haven in Pakistan. “So the narrative of a country like Pakistan cannot be salvaged by an accented English speaking suit-wearing ex-foreign minister. Pakistan’s hands are too full in blood to be washed away by this overnight drama,” Surya said.
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, with India carrying out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7.
Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9, and 10. The Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions.
The on-ground hostilities ended with an understanding of stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10.