6 hours ago
Last Updated:May 06, 2025, 15:54 IST
Explaining the measures India has taken so far against Pakistan, Tharoor called them 'fairly modest' and said many countries were sharply critical of what happened in Pahalgham
Tharoor said the mock drill can send a signal to the other side that we are serious about the situation and are preparing for the possibility of war. (PTI)
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday welcomed the Home Ministry’s decision to conduct pan-India mock security drills on May 7 in the wake of strained tensions with Pakistan since the Pahalgam terror attack, saying India can “check if the sirens are working and know what to do".
Speaking to CNN-News18, Tharoor said: “It’s not a bad idea as there hasn’t been one in three or four decades. However, a mock drill is still a drill, not a declaration of war as some people are interpreting it. It can also send a signal to the other side that we are serious about the situation and are preparing for the possibility of war."
He added: “Frankly, it could be a bluff or a double bluff. We can send a signal without intending to follow through on what it conveys. I’m not drawing any conclusions about the drill, other than the fact that it is a mock drill. I was a child when these sirens last went off in 1965."
From air raid warning signs to blackouts and shelters, Wednesday’s mock drill will test operational efficacy in vulnerable districts and train civilians. Most of the present generation has never seen a war and the exercise is meant to educate the masses of the utmost importance of wartime SOP, sources told CNN-News18.
The Congress leader also weighed in on the closed-door meeting at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to discuss the renewed India-Pakistan hostility since April 22, when 26 people were killed in cold blood in Pahalgam.
“Since the meetings are held behind closed doors, we don’t know what really happened. So far, there has been no official statement. From the leaks, which may or may not be reliable, it seems things didn’t go as the Pakistanis wanted. They are a member of the council; they are in the room and we are not."
News18 had learnt that at the meeting hosted on Pakistan’s insistence, the UNSC members refused to accept the former’s “false flag" narrative and asked Pakistan if LeT was likely to be involved in the Pahalgam attack.
Several members of the council specifically brought up the targeting of tourists in Pahalgam on the basis of their religious faith, sources informed. The council also expressed concerns over Pakistan’s missile tests and nuclear rhetoric and termed them as “escalatory factors".
Explaining the measures India has taken so far against Pakistan, Tharoor called them “fairly modest". “Many countries were sharply critical of what happened in Pahalgham and do not believe the Pakistani theory that Indians are doing this to themselves. There will be some pressure on both countries not to escalate the situation. There is an understanding that India cannot let this go. There is a price to pay, and we are leaving it to the government to exact a price from the sponsors of terrorists," he said.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP, when asked about Pakistanis being asked to return amid strained ties between the countries, said it’s a decision both governments take. “There are some unfortunate stories we are seeing. For example, there is a family in Kerala who came in the 1940s with a Pakistani passport that has now expired. They don’t have an Indian passport. These individual cases must be looked at with compassion and common sense," he said, calling it “a tragic human consequence of the inhuman acts by terrorists".
Tharoor said after the government has taken military action after the Balakot and Uri strikes, setting a precedent that has influenced public expectations. “People expect some sort of action, something that will physically affect those on the other side."
Location :Thiruvananthapuram, India, India
First Published:News politics Could Be Bluff Or Double Bluff But Mock Drill Not Declaration Of War, Says Shashi Tharoor
