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Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, while addressing the Indian diaspora in Washington, DC, recalled the harrowing moment during the recent Pahalgam terror attack when a woman, horrified after watching her husband die, screamed out -- "kill me too," but the terrorists said no and told her to go back and tell the story.
Highlighting this, Tharoor emphasized the overwhelming and unconditional support India has received from US lawmakers in the aftermath of the attack. Speaking as part of an all-party Indian parliamentary delegation, Tharoor said the visit's main purpose was to share what India has endured and seek solidarity in the fight against terrorism. "There's been a very wide, impressive cross-section of legislators who met us, spoken to us. I must say our purpose in coming was actually very simple. Lay out what we've been through in India in the last few weeks, with the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam, and seek understanding and solidarity with us on these measures..." Tharoor said. Describing the nature of the engagement, he added, "The relationship with India matters to all these people. The strategic partnership is real. We saw it in practice... There are always things going on. In fact, when our meeting was ending at the Senate, they had to rush off to a vote. There's always something going on, but they found the time for us and they engage with us in a very positive and constructive way." Tharoor also noted the strong bipartisan backing received, stating, "We came prepared for much more by we have a pushback or questions or even some skepticism we found none, there has been an unconditional support extended to us in our struggle against terrorism..." He further highlighted the diverse composition of the Indian delegation and contrasted it with the divisive motives behind the Pahalgam attack. "Seven MPs representing five political parties, seven states and we also have two ambassadors with us, the current and the former ambassador of Washington. We have eight states and three religions... I mentioned religions not because it should matter, but because the terrorists in Pahalgam tried to make religion an issue by asking their victims what their religion was before shooting them between the eyes and performing this heinous crime in a way that there would be survivors to tell the story of their questions... That is the message they wanted to give..." Addressing the diaspora directly, Tharoor urged them to continue voicing their concerns and influencing their elected representatives. "When you speak up to your representatives and you tell them what you'd like to see happening in their positions, on matters that affect all of you and affect your families back home and affect India, that really counts. They are conscious of you, they respect you, you're all very, very high achievers, people who do significant things..." he said. The delegation led by Tharoor arrived in the US on Wednesday. It includes Shambhavi Chaudhary (Lok Janshakti Party), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), G M Harish Balayogi (Telugu Desam Party), Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejaswi Surya, and Bhubaneswar Kalita (all from the BJP), Mallikarjun Devda (Shiv Sena), former Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, and Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora. The visit comes as part of India's broader diplomatic outreach under Operation Sindoor, following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. (ANI)
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