India’s Operation Sindoor and the subsequent international fallout reveal not just military or diplomatic events, but a vivid example of how global alliances, economic dependencies, and geopolitical rivalries intersect.
Colombia’s unexpected sympathy for Pakistan — a nation widely accused of harboring and exporting terrorism — following India's retaliation for the Pahalgam attack, is deeply symbolic. It marks a visible shift in Bogotá’s diplomatic posture, one that cannot be detached from its evolving relationship with China.
Earlier this month, Colombia signed onto China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), aligning itself with a global infrastructure and trade project where Pakistan plays a central role via the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). China’s deepening influence in Latin America is increasingly displacing traditional US partners, especially as Washington under Trump-era policies lost favor in several capitals across the continent.
Colombia’s economic woes — including its sharp GDP slowdown, inflationary pressures, and tensions with the US over deportations and trade — have created fertile ground for China's economic charm offensive. Beijing seized the moment, not just offering trade and investment under BRI, but reportedly proposing to supply J-10CE fighter jets — the same aircraft also used by Pakistan.
This backdrop helps explain why Colombia expressed condolences for those killed in Pakistan during India’s Operation Sindoor — a counter-terror mission that Delhi insists was surgical and aimed only at terror camps. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, in Bogotá as part of India’s global diplomatic outreach, clearly expressed India’s disappointment, stressing that there can be “no equivalence between attackers and defenders” and reminding Colombia of the moral clarity required when terrorism is involved.
But even as Tharoor defended India abroad, his party back home criticized the Modi government for allowing a strategic partner like Colombia to drift so far diplomatically — a sign that India’s foreign policy is now entangled not only with China’s ambitions but also domestic political scrutiny.
The growing Chinese footprint in Latin America — especially in Colombia — illustrates the broader power contest playing out in regions once firmly in the American sphere. With two-thirds of Latin American nations already signed onto BRI, Beijing’s ability to sway political sympathies is increasing.
Thus, Colombia’s stance on Pakistan isn’t just a diplomatic misstep — it’s a ripple in a much larger wave of shifting global alignments. As China rises, its “iron brother” Pakistan gains diplomatic leverage, even in regions previously seen as far removed from South Asia’s conflict zones.
India's challenge going forward will be not just neutralizing terror threats but navigating a world where its adversary’s allies grow — not just through ideology, but through infrastructure, investment, and influence.
