Don't want to recapture Pakistan, we need peace, Says Shashi Tharoor in Brazil

An Indian parliamentary delegation to Brazil has had what has been called a "highly productive" series of meetings with the highest Brazilian authorities, highlighting India's strong commitment to anti-terrorism and putting the record straight about the importance of Operation Sindoor.

The Brazilian government expressed strong support for India in condemning the Pakistan-sponsored terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, and offered solidarity with the people of India.

Led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, the Indian delegation insisted that India does not aspire to territorial gains in Pakistan but rather hopes for prosperity and peace for its people—without fear of terrorism emanating across the border.

The delegation met with Filipe Barros, Brazil's Chamber of Deputies Committee on Foreign Affairs and National Defence Chair. Barros reaffirmed Brazil's support for India following the Pahalgam attack. Tharoor severely criticized Pakistan's contribution towards terrorism during their meeting.

"We don't want to re-occupy Pakistan or join it with India again -- nothing like that. We want to be left alone to develop and to create prosperity and the happiness of our people. That's the Indian narrative for centuries. Why would we desire distraction or war? It's not us who desire war and conflict, everything originates from the other side," Tharoor said.

"We desire the world to see that we had to do this because we had no option. You (Pakistan) leave us in peace, we will leave you in peace. But when you harm us with terrorism, then we will respond to you in this way."

"There is a word -- sub-conventional warfare. It's a very nasty method because they (Pakistan) enjoy attacking civilians and our innocent citizens. They cannot beat us in a conventional war, so they attempt these things. We do not believe in terrorism, but if they attack us with terrorists, then we shall attack them with a conventional war."

"We will utilize our Indian Air Force, Army, and Navy. We will attack their locations, so they should get the message. The best thing is to put a stop to this, disassemble the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and apprehend the perpetrators. But they don't, because sadly, this is what the nation Pakistan has degraded to," Tharoor continued.

When a Brazilian official asked whether Mahatma Gandhi would have surrendered Kashmir for peace, Tharoor responded decisively, "I'd be very surprised if any Indian leader would do that. Mahatma Gandhi never wanted to answer someone who was putting a gun to your head by surrendering. The message we learned when the British came with their guns or police was to stand firm in front of them. Gandhi was stuck in a dilemma because lots of people were hurt, some of them killed. One of our national heroes, Lala Lajpat Rai, was struck on the head with his rifle by a British officer. Violence has been overcome by our national heroes. Mahatma Gandhi never conceded surrender to the British. Today's India will not surrender either. If Pakistan believes we will surrender -- sorry, we will not."

Deputy Filipe Barros recognized that the two democracies share commonalities in the form of diverse populations and challenges.

"Brazil and India share a lot of things, such as the heterogeneity of our people, and heterogeneity is a milestone for our countries. Our problems also share much in common. In Brazil, we have drug trafficking and organised crime. We can work together on them. We are researching organised crime and terrorist groups; we've even published on it. I propose presenting a joint declaration of support of the Indian people on terrorism to our commission," he stated.

The Indian delegation also met Senator Nelsinho Trad, who is the chairman of both the India-Brazil Friendship Front and the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee.

After meeting with him, Tharoor posted on X (also known as Twitter), saying, "Excellent & highly productive meeting with Senator Nelsinho Trad, President of the India-Brazil Friendship Front & President of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee. Deeply appreciate his insightful understanding & strong endorsement of India's perspective on recent events. Such solidarity strengthens the bonds between our democracies!"

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, a delegate, tweeted, "India and Brazil enjoy a greatly valued relationship through many multilateral forums. We spoke of the importance of Operation Sindoor and joint efforts to counter terrorism."

The Indian leaders also had an extensive discussion with Ambassador Celso Amorim, Brazil's senior diplomatic advisor to the President, at the Presidential Palace in Brasilia. Amorim met with what Tharoor has described as a "full and rewarding discussion."

"Our day in Brasilia was first spent visiting the Presidential Palace, where I met with my friend of many years, Ambassador Celso Amorim. There followed a rich and comprehensive discussion," Tharoor added.

"We talked about our zero tolerance policy for terrorism and Operation Sindoor. At length and in an open manner, he conveyed strongest support, sympathy, and condemned the Pakistani assault. He underlined how terrorism is an international threat and that all nations need to join hands to combat it. Brazil, a long-time friend of India, is with us in this fight against terror," Surya stated.

Talking to IANS, Tharoor pointed out the quality and strength of their diplomatic interactions in all the countries, saying, "It has been an excellent visit so far, and we are very satisfied with the quality of meetings we've had in all four nations that we've visited. In Brasilia today, we had a meeting with the senior diplomatic adviser to the President. Our discussion ended with a complete understanding of our point."

He also went on to say, "We also had a great meeting with the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and President of the India-Brazil Friendship Group. He was very positive and open to our explanations and perspectives. And lastly, we met with the Acting Foreign Minister, who was totally with us -- very understanding and receptive of what we had to say."

Furthermore, the delegation was also welcomed warmly by Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, who conveyed his deepest sympathies with the victims of the Pahalgam attack.

Alckmin said to IANS, "It is a big honour and pleasure to host the President of the Indian Parliament Foreign Relations Commission, Shashi Tharoor, and the members of Parliament and our Indian Ambassador in Brazil. We are happy and privileged, as Brazil is a friendly nation and a major commercial ally of India. We are stronger with the solidarity for the victims of the attack. Brazil has always been a champion of peace and friendship, and we want to reinforce our relation with India."

Along with Tharoor, the visiting delegation includes Shambhavi Choudhary (Ram Vilas Lok Janshakti Party), Sarfaraz Ahmad (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), GM Harish Balayogi (Telugu Desam Party), BJP MLAs Shashank Mani Tripathi, Bhubaneswar Kalita, Tejasvi Surya, Milind Deora (Shiv Sena), and Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu.

This Brazilian stopover is an important leg of India's wider diplomatic efforts to forge international consensus for Operation Sindoor and to reiterate its stance against terrorism from Pakistan.