India-Pakistan news: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has firmly criticised US President Donald Trump’s recent statement on the India-Pakistan condition, terming it misleading and damaging to India’s long-held diplomatic stand. Tharoor stated that the statement undermines the global consensus on terrorism and brings back outdated narratives.
Mr Trump’s post is disappointing for India in four important ways: First, it implies a false equivalence between the victim and the perpetrator, and seemingly overlooks the US’ own past unwavering stance against Pakistan’s well-documented links to cross-border terrorism. Second,… https://t.co/Za5cvwq82M
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 12, 2025
In a detailed post on social media, Tharoor has mentioned four major concerns related to Trump’s post, which seems to equate both India and Pakistan concerning the recent terror attack. As per Tharoor, Trump’s statement ignored the ”well-documented links” between Pakistan and cross-border terrorism. Thus, it lessens the differentiation between the victim and the perpetrator.
”Mr Trump’s post is disappointing for India in four important ways, ”Tharoor stated. ‘’First, it implies a false equivalence between the victim and the perpetrator, and seemingly overlooks the US’s own unwavering stance against Pakistan’s well-documented links to cross-border terrorism.
India will never negotiate with a gun to his head’
Tharoor also dismissed any suggestion of external mediation between India and Pakistan. Commenting on Trump’s call for negotiations, Tharoor stated, ”India will never negotiate with a terrorist gun pointed at his head.” He highlighted that India considers the Kashmir issue as a domestic matter and it is not one for international intervention.
Tharoor added that Trump’s comments also have a risk of reviving a perception of India and Pakistan as a single conflict unit. This interpretation is something India has worked for decades to move beyond. ”It re-hyphenates India and Pakistan in the global imagination,” he stated. He pointed out that successive US presidents had avoided clubbing visits to both countries since Bill Clinton’s visit in 2000.
Meanwhile, India has continuously maintained that dialogue between India and Pakistan can only resume once there is action taken against terrorism.
On Wednesday, the Congress Working Committee underlined that this is not the moment for personal opinions but rather for reinforcing the party’s common stance. As per a PTI report, after the meeting, several members reportedly mentioned that Shashi Tharoor has crossed ‘’lakshman rekha’’ with his continued comment related to the India-Pakistan conflict.