Congress MP Shashi Tharoor dismissed mediation between India and Pakistan, arguing the nations are not equals, during a Council on Foreign Relations address in Washington on June 5, 2025. Labeling Pakistan a revisionist power that harbors terrorists, Tharoor rejected US President Donald Trump’s claims of brokering a ceasefire after the May 7-10 conflict, sparked by India’s response to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. Tharoor emphasized India’s status as a status quo power seeking peace, contrasting it with Pakistan’s destabilizing actions. He noted India appreciated US engagement but stressed the ceasefire resulted from direct military talks between the nations’ Directors General of Military Operations.

Tharoor, leading a multi-party delegation on Operation Sindoor, rejected any equivalence between “terrorists and their victims,” highlighting India’s democratic resilience against Pakistan’s terrorism support. Trump, claiming credit for halting the conflict, cited trade incentives, but India insists no third-party mediation occurred, underscoring its firm stance against terrorism.