'Uske fitrat...': Shashi Tharoor quotes poetry after Pakistan violates ceasefire
After Pakistan violated ceasefire on Saturday evening hours after the announcement, Tharoor reacted to the situation posting a poem on his X account
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who has been appearing in TV interviews airing his views on the rising tensions between India and Pakistan, on Saturday (May 10), ended up quoting poetry after Pakistan violates the ceasefire agreement reached between both sides.
All of a sudden, on Saturday afternoon, India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire and foreign secretary, Vikram Misri had also confirmed that the ceasefire will go into effect from 5 pm the same day. US President tweeted about it first stating that "after a long night of talks mediated by the US...India and Pakistan had agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire".
This came after tensions had escalated between the two countries with both sides engaging in intense military exchanges. However, in the evening after the ceasefire was announced, Pakistan violated the understanding and continued to fire missiles and instigated drone attacks into Indian territory.
India’s armed forces responded appropriately.
Peace was essential
Reacting to this situation, Tharoor, using the hashtag #ceasefireviolated, posted a Hindi couplet: "Uski fitrat hai mukar jaane ki, uske vaade pe yakeen kaise karu." (It's their nature to go back on their word, how can I trust their promises?).
Also read: J-K official, 2 security officers among 7 killed in Pak shelling in Jammu before 'ceasefire'
Tharoor’s stand on the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan has been that “peace was essential”.
In his view, India did not want a “long-term war” but wanted to teach terrorists a lesson. At the sidelines of an event, he had said that he believes that “lesson has been taught".
Tharoor was referring to Operation Sindoor, which had struck at nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir. This was in response to the deadly attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22.
Tharoor has praised Operation Sindoor, calling it "a brilliant name". He had said that it "evokes the image, seared into our national consciousness, of the newly-widowed bride, kneeling and weeping by the side of her assassinated husband of six days in Pahalgam".
Breach of understanding
After the Indian army sighted the drones and intercepted it in various locations in Jammu and Kashmir, including Srinagar, and parts of Gujarat, foreign secretary Vikram Misri calling it a "breach of understanding", he had said that the Indian armed forces were responding to the “repeated violations” by Pakistan.
He told reporters at 11.20 pm that in the last few hours, there have been repeated violations of the understanding arrived at earlier this evening between the directors general of military operations of India and Pakistan.
Also read: Operation Sindoor LIVE: Borders remain calm in Jammu; no drones, firing reported overnight
“This is a breach of the understanding arrived at earlier today. The armed forces are giving an adequate and appropriate response to these violations, and we take very, very serious notice of these violations," he added.
Misri asked Pakistan to take "appropriate steps" to address the violations and deal with the situation with "seriousness and responsibility".
"The armed forces are maintaining a strong vigil on the situation,” Misri said, adding that they have been instructed to deal “strongly with any instances of repetition of the violations along the International Border as well as the Line of Control”.
In an earlier briefing he had said that both sides had agreed that they would “stop all firing and military action on land and in the air and sea with effect from 1700 hours Indian Standard Time today". And, that the director generals of military operations will talk again on May 12 at 1200 hours.