Talks possible if Pakistan takes action against terrorism, says Indian opposition leader

• Tharoor conveys India's "strong message" against terrorism.
• Congress MP urges Pakistan to end terrorism infrastructure.
• Pakistan doesn't want to leave us alone, alleges politician.
  

KARACHI: India's Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has said that language is not a significant hurdle when it comes to holding talks between India and Pakistan, but rather the absence of a shared commitment to decency and peace. 

Speaking on Tuesday, Tharoor emphasised that New Delhi would be open to talks with its neighbour only if Islamabad takes demonstrable action against the "infrastructure of terrorism that is visible everywhere" within its borders.

Tharoor, who recently led an all-party parliamentary delegation to Brazil, also reported success in conveying India's "strong message" against terrorism to various Latin American nations. 

He claimed that the delegation managed to clarify India's stance to countries that may have previously held misunderstandings on the issue.

"This is what we keep telling our interlocutors," Tharoor said, questioning Pakistan's innocence. "If Pakistan is as innocent as they claim to be, why do they give safe haven to wanted terrorists? Why are they able to live peacefully, to conduct training camps and radicalise further people, to equip arms and get people to practice their arms and Kalashnikovs...?" he added.

"You crack down on this infrastructure of terrorism that is visible everywhere in your country. Then, of course, we can talk," Tharoor further said. 

"We can talk to them in Hindustani. We can talk to them in Punjabi. We can talk to them in English. There is no problem in finding common ground with Pakistan. The problem is finding a common vision for decency, for peace. We want to be left in peace, to grow and develop. They don't want to leave us alone. They want to harass us. They want to undermine us," he alleged.

Tharoor's visit to Latin American countries comes as part of an effort from both India and Pakistan to present their stance on the recent clashes between the nuclear neighbours.

Meanwhile, former foreign minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardar is leading a nine-member high-level parliamentary delegation across several countries to present to the world Pakistan’s stance on the recent military confrontation with India and to challenge New Delhi’s narrative at the international level.

This military confrontation came weeks after 26 tourists were killed in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir's (IIOJK) Pahalgam and India falsely blamed Pakistan for the attack.

After the incident, India killed several innocent civilians in unprovoked attacks on Pakistan for three days before the Pakistan Armed Forces retaliated in defence with the successful Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos.

Pakistan downed six IAF fighter jets, including three Rafale, and dozens of drones. After at least 87 hours, the war between the two nuclear-armed nations ended on May 10 with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States.

The Congress MP was also questioned about whether India hopes that Brazil — the host nation for the 11th BRICS Parliamentary Forum — may issue a statement on terrorism against Indian citizens.

In response to this, Tharoor said: "I think, honestly, BRICS has a different agenda. I'm not saying that they may not want to express solidarity. I mean, that's really not my brief. I don't know, and I don't even know if it's in the draft that they’re working on already." 

According to another report, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that recent record aircraft orders from the country's airlines are just the beginning of the world’s fastest-growing domestic aviation market.

"Indian carriers have placed orders for more than 2,000 new jets and that’s just a start," said Modi while addressing hundreds of global aviation leaders at an airline industry summit.