Shashi Tharoor Slams Pakistan’s Terror Claims During US Diplomatic Visit; Invokes Hillary Clinton’s ‘Vipers’ Warning
During a high-stakes diplomatic outreach in the United States, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor sharply criticised Pakistan for its long-standing ties to terrorism.
Addressing global audiences, Tharoor drew on former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s famous analogy about “breeding vipers” to highlight the perils of Pakistan’s support for extremist groups.
Tharoor is currently heading a multi-party Indian delegation to the US, coinciding with a similar diplomatic effort by a Pakistani group led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
Both delegations are engaging with American lawmakers and policy influencers to assert their respective national perspectives in the aftermath of heightened India-Pakistan tensions, especially after the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
While speaking at the Indian Embassy in Washington, Tharoor directly responded to Pakistani claims that Islamabad is also a victim of terrorism, stating:
“This Pakistani delegation keeps saying ‘we have lost more lives to terrorism than India.’ We say, whose fault is that?”
He reminded the audience of Hillary Clinton’s warning from a decade ago:
“You can’t keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbours.”
He added that Pakistan is now facing the consequences of its policies, particularly referencing the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a splinter group of the Afghan Taliban.
“But who helped create the Taliban in the first place?” Tharoor asked rhetorically. “Let Pakistan introspect seriously before pleading innocence.”
The Pakistani delegation in Washington has been advancing a narrative that portrays India as an aggressor, while also emphasizing Pakistan’s victimhood from terror attacks. Tharoor, however, framed India’s message differently:
“This is not about India versus Pakistan. We are here to talk about India as a resilient democracy, a country focused on economic progress, and a victim of cross-border terrorism.”
He cited Kashmir’s recent tourism boom as evidence of peace and development in the region, comparing it to the popular US resort town of Aspen, Colorado.
“Last year, we had more tourists in Kashmir than Aspen sees annually. In just the first three months of this year, tourism numbers doubled compared to the same period last year,” he said.
Tharoor also described the gruesome nature of the Pahalgam attack, where terrorists reportedly asked victims to identify their religion before killing them.
“When one woman begged the attackers to kill her too, they told her to go back and ‘tell them’ — aiming to provoke religious violence.”
The Indian delegation’s visit follows Operation Sindoor, India’s retaliatory counter-terror offensive launched on May 7. The operation targeted terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, killing over 100 militants affiliated with groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.
The operation was halted on May 10 after both countries agreed to a ceasefire.
Addressing allegations that India’s actions had a communal motive, Tharoor clarified:
“This is not about religion or sectarian issues. Operation Sindoor was led by a team that included two women officers and one Muslim woman officer.
Every delegation we’ve sent abroad includes at least one Muslim member. Our fight is against terrorism — not any religion or community.”
The Indian delegation includes a cross-section of political figures, such as BJP MP Bhubaneshwar Kalita, Shiv Sena’s Milind Deora, and former Indian Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu.
Their US tour is part of a larger diplomatic effort that has also taken them to Guyana, Panama, Colombia, and Brazil, aimed at countering Pakistan’s global narrative and reinforcing India’s position on cross-border terrorism.
