Poonam Nath

Shashi Tharoor, along with 7 MPs, to brief nations on Indo-Pakistan conflict

Digital Desk: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has been chosen to lead one of seven all-party delegations of MPs that the government intends to send abroad to advise key foreign countries on the recent India-Pakistan crisis and India's position on it.

On Saturday, the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs released the names of the leaders who will represent India in its diplomatic outreach following the April 22 terrorist incident in Pahalgam and the accompanying Indian retaliatory operation, Operation Sindoor.

Tharoor's nomination as an MP to lead the delegation comes after publicly supporting the government's handling of the India-Pakistan standoff and Operation Sindoor. His comments in support of the government's military action sparked internal debate, and several congressional leaders expressed concern.

While releasing the names, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju emphasised that "in moments that matter most, Bharat stands united". "Seven All-Party Delegations will shortly visit major partner countries, spreading our unified message of zero tolerance for terrorism. "A powerful reflection of national unity that transcends politics and differences," he tweeted.

The other MPs leading the delegations, in addition to Tharoor, are: BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad, Jha Sanjay Kumar (JDU), Panda Baijayant (BJP), Karunanidhi Kanimozhi (DMK), Sule Supriya (NCP) and Shinde, Shrikant Eknath (Shiv Sena).

Ravi Shankar Prasad's delegation is set to visit Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Algeria, while Supriya Sule's team will travel to Oman, Kenya, South Africa, and Egypt. Sanjay Jha's delegation is expected to cover Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, and Indonesia, the countries with the largest Muslim population.

Each delegation, consisting of six to seven MPs, will visit around four to five countries. Members of these delegations will represent a broad spectrum of political parties, including MPs like Anurag Thakur, Aparajita Sarangi, Manish Tewari, Asaduddin Owaisi, Amar Singh, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Samik Bhattacharya, Brij Lal, Sarfaraz Ahmad, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Vikramjit Sawhney, Sasmit Patra, and Bhubaneswar Kalita.

India has arranged for a delegation of five to six MPs to travel to countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The delegations will be led by Minister Rijiju, who has spoken with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

The trip is part of India's diplomatic push to highlight Pakistan's role in cross-border terrorism and build international consensus. The tour is expected to begin after May 22, with invitations already sent out.

The outreach follows the Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 civilians dead. In response, India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting terror infrastructure across the border. Pakistan attempted drone strikes, escalating tensions, but both nations agreed to de-escalate on May 10.