Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, has voiced serious concerns over the growing military and economic ties between China and Pakistan. During his interaction in Colombia, he particularly highlighted its implications for regional security and India’s national interests. Tharoor, who is leading an all-party delegation to deliver India’s strong message against terrorism to the world, launched scathing attack on Pakistan. He asserted that most of the equipment that Pakistan gets from China, is not used by it for defence but to attack. Tharoor reiterated Pakistan’s sponsorship of terrorists by highlighting the funeral of a terrorist, which was attended by uniformed senior military and police personnel from Pakistan.

Shashi Tharoor Highlights China-Pakistan Arms Ties

Bringing China’s role in all the developments indirectly, Tharoor stated that India is well aware that China supplies 81 per cent of all Pakistani defence equipment. He added that India is not concerned with Pakistan pursuing development, but with the perpetration of terror behind it.

Tharoor said, “We are quite conscious that China supplies 81 per cent of all Pakistani defence equipment. Defence is a polite word, Pakistani military equipment. Much of it is not for defence but for attack. Every sovereign country has the right to do that. The single largest project in China’s Belt and Road Initiative is in Pakistan, the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is a highway corridor connecting China to a port in south-western Pakistan that permits goods to be transported relatively quickly and economically to western China. We are aware of that, and our concern is not with the rights of the Pakistani people to pursue development. Of course, they may do so, including with the partnership with China. Our quarrel is only with the perpetration of terror against us.”

Goodwill Has Been Repeatedly Betrayed: Tharoor

He also talked Indus Waters Treaty, stating that it was offered by India to Pakistan in the early 1960s in a spirit of goodwill and harmony. Tharoor remarked that the goodwill has been repeatedly betrayed through terrorist actions in the last four decades. Therefore, he added that the Indian Government, this time has taken a tough stand and placed the IWT in abeyance.

Tharoor said, “Even though we have had terrorism and war inflicted on us, the treaty has remained in place, but this time our government has placed the treaty in abeyance, which means it is in effect suspended. Its operations are suspended until such time as we get satisfactory indication from Pakistan that they’re prepared to conduct themselves in that spirit of goodwill that is provided for in the preamble of the treaty.”

“We are very conscious that we have been a generous neighbour when it comes to the operation of the treaty. We are in an upper riparian state. We have given Pakistan very generously the waters that they are entitled to under the treaty, and we have not even used all the waters we are entitled to under the treaty. But the time for acting on the basis of goodwill unilaterally is frankly no longer with us,” he added.

Tharoor Slams Pakistan

He further criticised Pakistan for its complicity in supporting terrorism. Showing a photograph of funeral of one of the terrorists killed in Indian strike, Tharoor pointed towards the presence of Pakistani military officials.

“The funeral was attended by uniformed senior military and police personnel from Pakistan. That is the extent of complicity that we are seeing between the terrorists who perpetrate crimes of this nature and those who finance, guide, train, arm and equip them and do provide them safe haven to continue their training and their other awful deeds,” Tharoor said.