Colombia has officially withdrawn its earlier statement expressing condolences over deaths in Pakistan following India’s Operation Sindoor, after Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s strong diplomatic pushback during an ongoing five-nation outreach. Tharoor, who is heading one of the seven delegations appointed by the Indian government to clarify the rationale behind Operation Sindoor, directly addressed the issue with Colombia's Vice Foreign Minister Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio.
Tharoor emphasized that Colombia’s initial response had wrongly implied a moral equivalence between terrorists and defenders of national sovereignty, an implication that India found unacceptable. In response, the Colombian official acknowledged the concern, confirmed the retraction of the previous statement, and said a revised communication aligned with India’s position would be issued.
Villavicencio noted that after detailed discussions, Colombia better understood the context of the conflict in Kashmir and India’s legitimate security concerns, and she reiterated Bogotá’s commitment to continued dialogue with New Delhi.
Tharoor stressed that Operation Sindoor was a justified response to the brutal Pahalgam massacre, in which 26 civilians, mostly tourists, were gunned down by Pakistan-based terror group The Resistance Front, an affiliate of Lashkar-e-Taiba. He reiterated there can be "no equivalence between terrorists and innocent civilians," and expressed appreciation for Colombia’s swift reconsideration.
The incident marks a significant diplomatic correction and is seen as a victory for India’s international outreach, especially amid ongoing efforts to counter global narratives influenced by Pakistan following the operation. Tharoor’s team will also engage with U.S. officials during this diplomatic mission to present India’s case to 33 countries in total.
