US Congress condemns Pahalgam terror attack, supports India's right to retaliate

UPDATED: Jun 5, 2025 01:04 IST

At a high-level meeting in Washington with an Indian all-party delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, members of the Congressional India Caucus emphasized the strategic depth of India-US ties, while backing India’s firm stance on cross-border terror.

“The Congressmen expressed unequivocal and bipartisan condemnation for the terror attack in Pahalgam. They expressed support for India’s right to respond to terrorism in the spirit of zero tolerance against terrorism,” the Indian Embassy said in a post on X.

The India Caucus — led by Co-Chairs Rep. Ro Khanna and Rep. Rich McCormick, along with Vice Co-Chairs Rep. Andy Barr and Rep. Marc Veasey met with the Indian delegation for detailed briefings on the threat landscape India faces.

The delegation, which included leaders from across India’s political spectrum, spotlighted the success of Operation Sindoor, India’s recent counter-terror operation, as an inflection point in the country’s counterterrorism approach. The mission, they said, is “defining a new normal” in India’s campaign against cross-border terrorism.

The all-party delegation also held candid and fruitful exchanges with House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) leadership.

“Chair @RepBrianMast, Ranking Member @RepGregoryMeeks, South and Central Asia Subcommittee Chair @RepHuizenga, Ranking Member @RepKamlagerDove, Ranking Member @RepBera and East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee @RepYoungKim greeted the delegation,” the Indian Embassy said in another post on X.

The committee leadership condemned the Pahalgam attack unequivocally and said India and USA stand together in their unwavering resolve and fight against terrorism in all its forms.

The delegation is one of the seven multi-party delegations India had tasked to visit 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community to emphasise Pakistan’s links to terrorism.

Besides Shashi Tharoor, the delegation included MPs Sarfaraz Ahmad (JMM), Ganti Harish Madhur Balayogi (TDP), Shashank Mani Tripathi (BJP), Bhubaneswar Kalita (BJP), Milind Deora (Shiv Sena), Tejasvi Surya (BJP), and former Indian Ambassador to the U.S., Taranjit Singh Sandhu.

Speaking to news agency PTI, delegation member Deora said that the group in the US, as well as those visiting other regions and countries, is telling the world that “India has had enough.”

He said that every country they visited so far “issued very unequivocal, I would almost say, unconditional, statements in favour of India.”

“We want to live in peace. We would prefer it if we have a stable neighbour. Nobody wants an unstable lunatic living next to you,” he said.

(With inputs from PTI)

Tune In