India’s Global Anti-Terror Diplomatic Campaign Scores Win As Colombia Withdraws Statement On Operation Sindoor Deaths In Pakistan

In a diplomatic win for India’s global anti-terror narrative, Colombia has retracted its earlier statement that expressed sympathy with Pakistan over loss of lives in Indian strikes on terror infrastructure in the neighboring country during Operation Sindoor.

Leading an all-party delegation to the Americas, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor had earlier on Thursday (29 May) said that India was disappointed with the Colombian government for expressing condolences over the loss of lives in Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, rather than sympathising with the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack.

"We were a little disappointed in the reaction of the Colombian government, which apparently expressed heartfelt condolences on the loss of lives in Pakistan after the Indian strikes, rather than sympathising with the victims of terrorism," Tharoor had said.

"We will say to our friends in Colombia, there can be no equivalence between those who dispatch terrorists and those who resist them. There can be no equivalence between those who attack and those who defend. We are only exercising our right of self-defence, and if there is any misunderstanding here, on this core, we are here to dispel any such misunderstanding", he added.

Tharoor and his delegation on Friday met with Colombia's foreign ministry officials.

Following a meeting with India’s delegation in Bogota, Colombia’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio said to news agency ANI that they were “very confident” with the explanation received regarding the Kashmir situation and looked forward to continued dialogue.

Tharoor appreciated Colombian position on the matter after explaining India's view and position.

Tharoor welcomed Colombia’s revised stance, noting that the Vice Minister had "graciously mentioned that they have withdrawn the statement that we had expressed concern about and that they fully understand our position on the matter, which is something we really value".

"Began today with an excellent meeting with the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio, and her senior colleagues dealing with the Asia-Pacific. I expressed India's view of recent events and voiced disappointment at Colombia's statement on 8 May, conveying "heartfelt condolences" to Pakistan. The Minister assured me that the statement had been withdrawn and that our position was now properly understood and strongly supported", Tharoor said in a post on X after meeting with the vice minister.

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, also in the delegation, praised Colombia’s retraction, stating, "There is a difference between tourists being killed and terrorists being neutralised. You cannot create an equivalence between the two...The Vice Minister as well as the authorities, saw merit in our arguments and were gracious enough to withdraw the statement that they had made earlier. They also expressed full sympathy and understanding with India's position".

The delegation, which had earlier visited Panama and Guyana as part of India’s global outreach to convey New Delhi's zero tolerance against terrorism, landed in Colombia on Thursday. Their next stops include Brazil and the United States.

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