Image Credit: X account @ShashiTharoor
Tharoor Dismisses Mediation Claims in India-Pak Row
Senior Congress leader and former diplomat Shashi Tharoor has firmly rejected recent claims by U.S. President Donald Trump that he helped mediate peace between India and Pakistan. Tharoor emphasized that India does not accept any form of third-party mediation in its bilateral matters with Pakistan, especially not from parties attempting to draw equivalence between the two nations.
Tharoor, who is currently leading a parliamentary delegation to the United States, clarified that India’s stance is rooted in sovereign principle and historic policy. According to him, any form of “mediation” suggested by the U.S. President was an overstatement at best. He underlined that India remains committed to peace but will never engage in talks under threat. “India will not talk to Pakistan with a gun pointed at our head,” he asserted.
India’s Diplomatic Messaging Post-Operation Sindoor
The comments come in the aftermath of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, after which India launched a calibrated military response under Operation Sindoor. Tharoor said that India had effectively communicated to the international community, including top American leadership, that its actions were focused on combating terrorism and not instigating war.
He stated that India has been successful in winning the global narrative by framing its operations as legitimate responses to terrorist provocations rather than acts of hostility. This, he believes, has helped India consolidate international support while isolating Pakistan diplomatically.
No Space for Equivalence or Coercion
Reacting to Trump’s suggestion that the U.S. had played a key role in the ceasefire, Tharoor remarked that the portrayal misrepresented facts and inflated routine diplomatic engagements into acts of “mediation.” He reiterated that no Indian government has, or will, accept third-party interference in dealing with Pakistan.
Tharoor also made it clear that India’s future engagement with Pakistan would be conditional on a complete cessation of cross-border terrorism. He stressed that dialogue was not off the table, but peace talks could only happen when Pakistan shows sincerity and halts its use of terrorism as state policy.
India, he affirmed, stands committed to bilateral resolution frameworks like the Simla Agreement and Lahore Declaration, and will never accept external impositions or forced negotiations, no matter the pressure.
