"Terrorist act must not go unpunished": Shashi Tharoor conveys India's position to Panama

Panama City [Panama], May 28 : Congress MP Shashi Tharoor-led delegation on Tuesday (local time) held a meeting with Panama Assembly President Dana Castaneda where the Thiruvananthapuram MP conveyed India's resolute position against terrorism while informing the others about Pahalgam terror attack.

Tharoor also emphasised the unity of all political parties for the national purpose and stated that India will not tolerate cross-border terrorism and will take action against perpetrators.

"We all come from different political backgrounds and different parts of India, but we are united in national purpose... After the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, we waited to see whether the Pakistan government would take any action against the perpetrators of the terrible crime. When nothing was clearly being done, two weeks later, on the 7th of May, we attacked the known headquarters of terrorist bases inside Pakistan," he said.

"We had no interest in starting a war, but we felt that a terrorist act must not go unpunished," Tharoor added.

Tharoor further sought an understanding in advance with the Panama government in case if another terrorist attack happens in India.

"We do believe, unfortunately, that this problem (terrorist attacks sponsored by Pakistan) is not over and if there is another terrorist incident tomorrow, we believe that we will not have to come back here, we will have your understanding in advance," Tharoor said.

Panama Assembly President Dana Castaneda assured that Panama has a strong law against terrorism. "We have a very strong law against terrorism.", Castaneda replied.

The all party delegation led by Tharoor arrived in Panama City for a three-day official visit after concluding their visit to Guyana.

During the visit, the Members of Parliament will be interacting with Panamanian leadership and key interlocutors from media, strategic community, Indian community and diaspora, and friends of India in Panama, according to the Indian Embassy in Panama statement.

In a statement shared on X, Indian Embassy in Panama stated, "The delegation will be interacting with Panamanian leadership and key interlocutors from media, strategic community, Indian community and diaspora, and friends of India in Panama, underlining our strong message of unity and brotherhood as well as India's collective resolve to fight against the scourge of terrorism."

"An all-party parliamentary delegation from India, led by Dr Shashi Tharoor, Hon'ble Member of Parliament, will be visiting the Republic of Panama from 27-29 May 2025 to convey India's strong message of zero-tolerance for terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.", the statement read.

The delegation, led by Shashi Tharoor, comprises Members of Parliament - Sarfaraz Ahmed, G M Harish Balayogi, Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejasvi Surya, Bhubaneswar Kalita, Mallikarjun Devda, Milind Deora and former Indian Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu.

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