Colombia has officially withdrawn its earlier expression of condolences on the loss of lives in Pakistan after India's military strike in retaliation to the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
While addressing an Indian all-party delegation, Colombia's Vice Foreign Minister Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio communicated her nation's revised position.
"We are very confident that with the explanation that we received today and the detailed information that we now have regarding the real situation, the conflict, and what happened in Kashmir, we can also continue the dialogue." she said, indicating a change in Colombia's position following an enhanced understanding of the issue.
Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP and leader of the Indian delegation, had already shown concern over Colombia's initial response, which had offered condolences to Pakistan. On their meeting, Tharoor recognized Colombia's change of heart.
"The Vice Minister very kindly said that they have taken back the statement we had complained about and that they completely understand our view on this matter, which is something we highly appreciate," he stated.
The visit of the delegation is also a part of India's larger diplomatic offensive to bring in international focus on Pakistan's role in cross-border terrorism and reaffirm India's firm stance on terrorist threats.
While speaking during a press conference in Bogotá, Tharoor also explained India's stance on terrorism and invoked Operation Sindoor. He emphasized India's disappointment at Colombia's first response to the Pahalgam attack, which appeared to sympathize with Pakistan instead of acknowledging India's victimhood.
BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, also in the delegation, seconded Tharoor's view. "There can be no equivalence between those who attack and those who defend," Surya tweeted, reiterating India's zero-tolerance approach. Surya further stated that India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi would continue to react strongly against every act of terrorism.
Surya is among the nine delegates who had gone to Guyana and Panama prior to coming to Colombia. The delegation consists of Bhubaneswar Kalita (BJP), Milind Deora (Shiv Sena), Shambhavi (LJP), GM Harish Balayogi (TDP), and retired Indian ambassador to the U.S., Taranjit Singh Sandhu.
During their stay in Bogotá, the delegation had meetings with representatives of Colombia's Congress, ministers, and key representatives of influential think tanks. Brazil is the team's next destination, and the last part of their five-country tour ends in the United States.
India's surgical military strike on May 7 was aimed at nine terrorist establishments as a direct retaliation against the April 22 Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 people, the majority of whom were tourists. Retaliating against India, Pakistan attempted to attack Indian army bases on May 8, 9, and 10. These attempts were effectively repelled by India, which caused immense damage to Pakistani military infrastructure, including radar facilities, command posts, air defence systems, and airbases.
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