Page 5 - The Indian EYE 061325

COVER STORY JUNE 13, 2025 | The Indian Eye 5

statecraft. ers—standing shoulder to shoulder
Congressional offices expressed for a shared national cause.
strong bipartisan interest in deepen- Tharoor even joked about how he
ing ties with India—especially as the might sound “immodest” saying it, but
Indo-Pacific narrative grows stronger declared, “These five days have been
in American strategic thinking. While a real success. We came here with a
some officials and analysts remained message. And we delivered it.”
guarded in their public responses— The delegation’s schedule was gru-
careful not to antagonize Pakistan eling: briefings with think tanks, inter-
or disrupt broader counterterrorism views with major American media, in-
collaborations—behind closed doors, teractions with Indian diaspora leaders,
India’s clarity and unity left a strong and closed-door meetings with intelli-
impression. As one official reportedly gence and defense officials. According
remarked after a delegation meeting, to Tharoor, the Indian embassies did
“India came prepared. They didn’t “a brilliant job” setting up high-level
just ask for support—they explained appointments that covered not just ter-
why they deserved it.” The city, accus- rorism but wider India-US relations—
tomed to spin and spectacle, saw in technological cooperation, trade,
this delegation something refreshingly regional strategy, and development.
real—and refreshingly resolute. All-party delegation member Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora exchanges greetings with
Chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs (HFAC), US Representive Brian Mast India’s Case, Pakistan’s
Facts Over Fiction in Washington, DC (ANI) Collapse
hile India built bridges, it s Pakistan’s delegation scram-
also exposed the rot on This measured framing of mili- voke further instability in South Asia. bled to explain away its role
Wthe other side. Tharoor’s tary action as a last resort—not a first Moreover, Washington’s deep Ain supporting terrorism, In-
delegation didn’t just offer talking strike—found resonance in Washing- military and strategic ties with Paki- dian MPs seized the moment. BJP
points—it delivered dossiers, evi- ton. Policymakers and analysts alike stan—and its growing partnership MP Tejasvi Surya mocked Pakistan’s
dence, and geopolitical logic to argue noted the contrast in how India and with India—create a diplomatic bal- so-called “peace delegation” as “the
why Pakistan’s “we are victims too” Pakistan conducted themselves diplo- ancing act. US officials want to pre- devil quoting scripture,” while citing
narrative is not only dishonest but matically in the wake of the conflict. serve their counterterrorism coopera- their dependence on cheap Chinese
dangerous. India sent an all-party team with a for- tion with Islamabad while expanding imports and failed generals promoted
Tharoor’s rhetoric was biting yet mer ambassador; Pakistan sent diplo- strategic ties with New Delhi in the for propaganda purposes.
evidence-driven. “Pakistan says they mats with recycled talking points. Indo-Pacific. And Tharoor, in his usual flourish,
are also victims of terrorism. We ask— Tharoor acknowledged this nu- tore into Pakistan’s victim card with
who created those terrorists? Who Support With Caution anced terrain. “Some of the support brutal logic. “You can’t expect to be
gave them safe havens? You cannot we received was more in private than taken seriously when your own institu-
breed vipers in your backyard and ex- espite the warmth and un- in public. But it was there. The soli- tions have bred the terror groups now
pect them to bite only your neighbour.” derstanding expressed during darity was clear, even if not shouted turning against you. You didn’t just
In an address at the Council on Dmeetings, India’s diplomatic from rooftops,” he said. harbor the Taliban—you built them.”
Foreign Relations, Tharoor took aim mission in the US is not without its What sets this diplomatic out- Even American officials seemed
at Pakistan’s military elite, arguing that challenges. Many American lawmak- reach apart is the sheer unity of the to agree. House Foreign Affairs Chair-
the Pahalgam attack was orchestrated ers remain wary of escalating tensions Indian delegation. Rarely does India man Brian Mast said it plainly: “When
to prop up a crumbling establishment. between two nuclear-armed nations. send a team that includes both Con- you’re attacked, you must respond.
“In India, the state has an army. In While they understand India’s griev- gress and BJP MPs on the same mis- India did what any nation would.”
Pakistan, the army has a state,” he ances, they are cautious about fully sion. Yet here they were—Tharoor, As the all-party delegation con-
quipped. And the punchlines weren’t endorsing any move that could pro- Tejasvi Surya, Milind Deora, and oth- cludes its US leg before heading
just rhetorical—Pakistan’s delega- home, the diplomatic returns are al-
tion, led by Foreign Minister Bilawal ready evident. India has succeeded in
Bhutto, reportedly failed to garner framing its narrative as just, its mili-
any meaningful support from US pol- tary actions as proportionate, and its
icymakers, while India’s engagements moral standing as superior.
yielded open endorsements. The path ahead will still require
The Indian delegation has been careful navigation—especially as
clear: Operation Sindoor was not an global attention shifts and new crises
act of aggression, but of self-defense. emerge. But India’s Operation Sin-
The military strikes targeted terror door narrative has been heard—and,
infrastructure in Pakistan and PoJK, in many quarters, understood.
eliminating over 100 terrorists from And in Washington, it was not
Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, a government minister or a military
and Hizbul Mujahideen. general, but a former UN diplomat
While India avoided civilian tar- and erudite parliamentarian who led
gets, Tharoor emphasized the asym- that charge with intellectual clarity
metry of the conflict. “What should and political grit.
we strike in Pakistan? Their civilians? Shashi Tharoor, with his elo-
No. We strike terror bases. But what All-party delegation leader Congress MP Shashi Tharoor speaks during a meeting with the quence and conviction, has not just
does Pakistan strike back with? That Indian diaspora on Thursday (ANI) spoken for India—he has, for now,
is the difference between us.” silenced its detractors.

www.TheIndianEYE.com