Shashi Tharoor’s Big Statement: “India Won’t Take First Step, Ball in Pakistan’s Court Now”
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor has declared that India will no longer take the first step to improve relations with Pakistan. After repeated betrayals and deceptions, he said, India’s patience has run out.
Speaking at the launch of former diplomat Surendra Kumar’s book “Whither India-Pakistan Relations Today?”, Tharoor said that India has always taken initiatives for peace, but Pakistan has consistently responded with hostility. He cited examples such as Jawaharlal Nehru’s 1950 agreement, Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s 1999 Lahore bus journey, and Narendra Modi’s 2015 Lahore visit—all of which, according to Tharoor, were met with betrayal from Pakistan.
In a stern tone, Tharoor stated:
“Now the responsibility lies with Pakistan. It must dismantle the terrorist infrastructure on its soil to prove its intentions.”
He questioned why Pakistan has not taken serious action against terror camps despite knowing about them. “The UN Committee already has a list of 52 terrorist individuals, groups, and hideouts—Pakistan is well aware of this. Then why is there no action?” Tharoor made it clear that if Pakistan dismantles its terror infrastructure and arrests terrorists to show genuine intent, India will respond positively. But, he emphasized, the first move must now come from Pakistan.