Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday said India will no longer take the initiative to normalise relations with Pakistan, stressing that the responsibility now lies with Islamabad to prove its sincerity by dismantling terror networks on its soil.
Tharoor was speaking at the launch of the book “Whither India-Pakistan Relations Today?”, an anthology edited by former ambassador Surendra Kumar.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP recalled several past attempts by Indian leaders to reach out to Pakistan — from Jawaharlal Nehru’s pact with Liaqat Ali Khan in 1950, to Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Lahore bus journey in 1999, and Narendra Modi’s surprise Lahore visit in 2015.
“Every attempt at outreach,” he said, “was betrayed by hostility from across the border.”
“Given the record of Pakistani behaviour, the onus is on them. They must take the first steps to show sincerity about dismantling terror infrastructure. Why can’t they be serious about shutting down these terror camps? Everyone knows where they are,” Tharoor said, pointing to a UN list of 52 individuals and organisations based in Pakistan.
He urged Islamabad to “shut them down, arrest some of these characters, and show serious intent.”
Tharoor added that India would be ready to reciprocate if Pakistan demonstrated genuine action, but ruled out New Delhi taking the first step again.
Referring to the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Tharoor said India had provided “overwhelming evidence” of Pakistan’s involvement, including live intercepts and dossiers, but “not one mastermind has been prosecuted.” He noted that India initially showed restraint, but repeated provocations led to surgical strikes in 2016 and later Operation Sindoor.
Quoting his 2012 book Pax Indica, Tharoor recalled his warning that if another Mumbai-like attack occurred with clear Pakistani complicity, India’s restraint might no longer be possible.
“And that is exactly what happened,” he said.
Tharoor emphasised that “peace and tranquillity on the borders is indispensable to India’s national interest,” citing the post-war reconciliation between France and Germany and the US–Vietnam relationship as examples of former adversaries becoming partners.
The discussion was also joined by former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal, ex-ambassador to Pakistan T C A Raghavan, former Army chief General Deepak Kapoor, and academic Amitabh Mattoo.
