Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor stated on August 20, 2025, that India will no longer take the first step to normalise ties with Pakistan after a long history of betrayals.

Speaking at the launch of the book "Whither India-Pakistan Relations Today?," edited by former ambassador Surendra Kumar, Tharoor emphasised that the responsibility now lies with Pakistan to demonstrate genuine sincerity by dismantling terror networks operating on its soil.

He highlighted that India has repeatedly reached out to Pakistan—citing examples from Jawaharlal Nehru's 1950 pact with Liaqat Ali Khan, Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Lahore bus journey in 1999, and Narendra Modi's Lahore visit in 2015—each followed by hostility or terror attacks, effectively betraying these peace efforts.

Tharoor pointed to the presence of terror camps and networks in Pakistan known internationally, including a UN list of 52 individuals, organisations, and places linked to terrorism within Pakistan’s borders.

He urged Pakistan to shut down these camps, arrest key individuals, and show serious intent toward peace. India, he said, would be willing to reciprocate such sincere efforts but will not take the first step in the current scenario.

Recounting the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Tharoor noted that India had provided overwhelming evidence of Pakistani involvement, including live intercepts and dossiers, but none of the masterminds have been prosecuted. India showed extraordinary restraint then, but ongoing provocations forced responses such as the 2016 surgical strikes and "Operation Sindoor."

He reiterated his earlier warning from his 2012 book "Pax Indica" that if another Mumbai-like attack occurred with clear evidence of Pakistan’s complicity, the previous restraint might break down, which indeed happened later. Tharoor emphasised that no democratic government in India, with its record of betrayals, could tolerate such assaults on its civilians.

Tharoor also underscored that peace and tranquillity on the borders are essential for India's national interest. He drew parallels with historical reconciliations like those between France and Germany after World War II and the US and Vietnam eventually becoming partners.

Additionally, he corrected claims attributed to former US President Donald Trump about brokering peace post-"Operation Sindoor," clarifying that it was India's successful military strikes and interception of Pakistani missile attempts that led Pakistan's DGMO to seek a ceasefire, not Trump's mediation.

The discussion included other experts like former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal, former Indian ambassador to Pakistan TCA Raghavan, ex-Army chief General Deepak Kapoor, and academician Amitabh Mattoo, framing the perspective that genuine normalisation depends on Pakistan's concrete actions to combat terrorism on its soil.

Based On A PTI Report