‘Pakistanis Came in Indian Airways… Blamed India’: Shashi Tharoor Recalls When Pakistan Lost Its Last Chance

By A Staff Reporter

New York: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, speaking at a high-profile community event hosted by the Consulate General of India in New York, recounted the 2016 Pathankot air base attack and Pakistan’s subsequent handling of the investigation—calling it the “last opportunity” for Islamabad to demonstrate sincerity in combating terrorism.

Addressing influential members of the Indian-American community, media, and think tanks, Tharoor recalled the aftermath of then Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise December 2015 visit to Pakistan, during which he met his counterpart Nawaz Sharif in an apparent bid to reset bilateral ties. Barely a week later, on January 2, 2016, militants attacked the Pathankot Air Force Station, a critical Indian military facility.

"In January [2016], there was an attack on an Indian air base... Our Prime Minister had just visited Pakistan the previous month. He was so astonished by the attack that he even called the Pakistani Prime Minister and invited them to join the investigation," Tharoor said. "Pakistani investigators came in Indian Airways, walked through our airbases, and then went back blaming Indians for the attack. Imagine the horror for our military establishment.”

Tharoor sharply criticised Pakistan for failing to follow through on its commitments. While India granted access to a Pakistani Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to inspect the site and gather evidence, Islamabad neither reciprocated with a visit for India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) nor shared any meaningful evidence.

“For us, 2015 was the last opportunity for them to behave, to cooperate, to really show they were serious about ending terror,” Tharoor declared.

The Pathankot attack, carried out by militants from the United Jihad Council, led to the deaths of four terrorists and three Indian security personnel. Despite the invitation extended to Pakistan as a gesture of good faith, the lack of cooperation that followed deeply strained bilateral ties.