Brasilia: The problem in holding talks with Pakistan is not the language but finding a common vision for decency and peace, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said on Tuesday, stressing that New Delhi can engage in dialogue with Islamabad if it takes significant action against the infrastructure of terrorism that is visible everywhere in the country.
Tharoor, who is leading an all-party parliamentary delegation to Brazil, also said his team successfully conveyed India’s message against terrorism to the Latin American countries, including to those who may have had some misunderstandings.
“This is what we keep telling our interlocutors. If Pakistan is as innocent as they claim to be, why do they give safe haven to wanted terrorists?… Why are they able to live peacefully, to conduct training camps…and radicalise further people, to equip arms and get people to practice their arms and Kalashnikovs…,” Tharoor told PTI Videos.
“You crack down on this infrastructure of terrorism that is visible everywhere in your country. Then, of course, we can talk,” he said.
“We can talk to them in Hindustani. We can talk to them in Punjabi. We can talk to them in English. There is no problem in finding common ground with Pakistan. The problem is finding a common vision for decency, for peace. We want to be left in peace, to grow and develop. They don’t want to leave us alone. They want to harass us. They want to undermine us,” he said.
The delegation led by Shashi Tharoor comprises Sarfaraz Ahmad, Ganti Harish Madhur, Shashank Mani Tripathi, Bhubaneswar Kalita, Tejasvi Surya, and Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu.
It will head to Washington, DC from Brazil.
According to reports, the Indian delegation will see a face-off with a Pakistani delegation led by Bilawal Bhutto, which will also be in the US at the same time.
Bhutto’s nine-member delegation comprises former Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, ex-Information Minister Sherry Rehman, former Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan, and former Foreign Secretaries Jalil Abbas Jilani and Tehmina Janjua.
On being asked whether countries have acknowledged India’s position on terrorism, Shashi Tharoor said his delegation had visited four nations—Guyana, Panama, Colombia, and Brazil—so far, and added, “This has been very clear in all the countries we’ve been to.”
“And I would say in all four countries, we’ve had a very, clear success, if that’s the word, I don’t like to boast of success. That’s for others to judge. But we have got our message through very clearly, including to those who may have had some misunderstandings,” he said, referring to Colombia.
Earlier, Tharoor had said Colombia withdrew a statement offering condolences to Pakistan for the loss of lives following India’s military strikes in response to the Pahalgam attack after his delegation explained Islamabad’s relentless support to cross-border terrorism.
“And as a result of getting our message through, we have certainly been able, in my view, to come back feeling that these countries understand our situation better and express full solidarity with our struggle against terrorism, which is the main purpose of our trip,” Tharoor said.
On a question on the delegation’s expectations from the Washington DC visit, Tharoor said, “My expectations are that it’s going to be a challenging visit. We have a lot of different kinds of audiences,” he said.
