‘When you are attacked, you have no choice but to respond’: US lawmakers back India on terror

WASHINGTON: Group-5 of the all-party Indian parliamentary delegation, led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, held a high-level interaction with the US House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) in Washington, DC, as part of its diplomatic outreach following Operation Sindoor.

The delegation, which met with key US lawmakers including HFAC chairman Brian Mast, Ranking Member Gregory Meeks, Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove, and Congressman Bill Huizenga, received strong bipartisan support and condemnation of the recent terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam region.

HFAC Chairman Brian Mast underlined the depth of bipartisan consensus on supporting India. “This was a very important meeting. This is a bipartisan delegation from the House of Representatives receiving India. We are proud to receive our friend and our ally. Every one of us strongly condemned the terrorist attacks that took place. There’s no room in this world for those kinds of attacks,” he said.

“The world was holding its breath, watching what had taken place, both in disgust and also in anticipation of the response. When you are attacked, you have no choice but to respond. The world does not allow anything else, and those responses needed to take place. We have a great friendship and partnership between our nations, and we see nothing but growth and expansion in the future”, he added.

“Certainly, I think all of us were very concerned about the terrorist attack in northern India, and I certainly personally condemn it. I know all of my colleagues also condemn that. That is something that we need to work cooperatively on — to root out those terrorists and make sure that they are not able to strike any country”, said Congress leader Bill Huizenga.

Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove echoed similar sentiments. “I condemned the attacks in Pahalgam and am grateful for the ceasefire, hoping that there can be lasting peace. I also recognise how strong the U.S.-Indian partnership has been, and it’s so important that we continue that. Representing Los Angeles, issues around visa access for the World Cup and the Olympics are a priority, as well as how we can build our relationships with the tech industry in India and with Bollywood. So those were some of the things I raised”, she said.

Congressman Gregory Meeks, Ranking Member of the Committee, stressed shared democratic values. “The relationship between the United States and India — we are bound together, the oldest and the largest democracies in the world. Our values are the same”, he said.

“We shared our condolences because we cannot tolerate terrorism anywhere. We support India’s right to defend itself and ensure that terrorism does not take place there. Just as important is the dialogue we had about working collectively globally. India has been a great partner — whether it’s on QUAD, trade, or working together on issues like Ukraine and Russia in a responsible manner”, Meeks added.

Leading the Indian delegation, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor thanked the US lawmakers for their “strong and unconditional” support.

“There was, as the chairman said, complete unanimity in condemning the terrorist attacks and in defending India’s right to defend itself. We are very grateful for that support because it was strong and unconditional”, Tharoor said.

“Equally, of course, we talked about broader issues involving our countries ‘ trade, the economy, students, visas — broader concerns about the relationship. But everybody in the meeting, on both sides — the Indian side and the American side — wants to see this relationship becoming stronger, more effective, and covering more aspects of life and geopolitics”, he added.

The Indian all-party delegation’s visit to Washington follows stops in Brazil and Europe, aimed at consolidating international support against terrorism and highlighting India’s strategic interests post Operation Sindoor. (ANI)