Operation Sindoor: Why China didn't take 'much of pro-Pakistan stand' this time? Shashi Tharoor explains

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday gave a reality check to Pakistan, saying that China "did not take much of a pro-Pakistan stand" as tensions between India and Pakistan escalated following the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir which claimed 26 lives.The Congress leader said that the Indian market is more important to Beijing today in the "Trumpian world of high tariffs.""All countries have called for restraint.

That's normal. No one wants to see an escalating war between two nuclear powers. Russia, France, and Israel are the only ones that have specifically shown understanding publicly for India's right to defend itself against terrorism. America, in principle, should have said something, given that they are the ones that reacted the most strongly against Afghanistan after 9/11," Tharoor said."Surprisingly, China did not take as much of a pro-Pakistan stand. What China has said is suggestive that they are not oblivious of the fact that relations with India were warming. The Indian market is all the more important to China today in the Trumpian world of high tariffs. China needs India in a way that it never needed them before. If there were a real war, they would have been supporting Pakistan. But to prevent a war, China will take a constructive approach in my view," the Congress MP said.

Meanwhile, India foiled Pakistan's attempts to target military installations in the northern and western regions of the country, a day after the Indian armed forces carried out precision strikes inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as part of 'Operation Sindoor.'According to Indian authorities, Pakistani missiles and drones were "neutralised by the Integrated Counter-UAS Grid and Air Defence systems."In response to Pakistan's attacks, the Indian Armed Forces targeted air defence radars and systems at multiple locations within Pakistan, including in Lahore.Following Pakistan's attempt, the Chinese foreign ministry said that it was "not familiar with the matter" when asked about reports of Chinese jets being involved in the attack.Earlier, Congress MP and former diplomat Shashi Tharoor said that the recent United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on India-Pakistan tensions did not go in Pakistan's favour, with several member countries raising difficult questions on terrorism and Lashkar-Taiba (Let), a terror outfit under Islamabad's shelter.Referring to unofficial briefings from inside the closed-door session, Tharoor said, "Everything we hear about this is not official or confirmed, but what we hear, however, from these background meetings is that it did not appear to have gone well for Pakistan as they would have hoped.They are one of the 15 members, they are a member, India is not in the room. In these circumstances, Pakistan would have thought that they had an advantage but the impression is that the delegations asked tough questions, particularly about Lashkar-e-Taiba, and the concerns have largely been about terrorism, how it is extremely dangerous and that it can understandably provoke an Indian reaction."