'Good results, very high quality meetings': Tharoor hails his delegation's work after 5-nation tour
New Delhi (PTI): Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who led a multi-party delegation to the US and four other countries to convey India's stand following Operation Sindoor, on Tuesday said his delegation had "good results" everywhere with "very high-quality meetings" and there was a complete understanding for the Indian position.
Tharoor, who returned after his five-nation tour this evening, said from the government's perspective, the purpose of sending MPs both demonstrates the unity of India across political lines and at the same time to deliver an effective message to government officials, legislators, think tanks, opinion makers, media and the diaspora abroad. "All of this was very thoroughly fulfilled," he told reporters at the airport here.
"I think it was a very good visit. We were all very pleased with the way all the five countries we went to received us. We thought we had good results everywhere.
"We had very high-quality meetings -- presidents, PMs, vice presidents, very senior interlocutors," the Congress leader said.
At the same time, there was complete understanding and support for the Indian position for why this whole thing had been triggered post-Pahalgam and what our reaction had to be, he said.
"In fact, many of the people we spoke to specifically expressed respect for the restraint we have shown in our reaction. I would say, we have come out of this extremely well," Tharoor said.
"We have done what we were asked to do," he said.
Tharoor said what he observed during his visit to the US is that Pakistan has no narrative left to present.
"Not only did everyone understand and accept our point of view, but even the responses from American lawmakers were strongly in our favour... Pakistan's position is extremely weak. They claim they haven't done anything and that India attacked them without provocation, but no one was willing to buy that argument," he said.
"Then they try to portray themselves as victims of the same extremists. I told them, '... if you raise a snake in your house, don't expect it to bite only your enemies'. That's the message I conveyed to everyone," he said.
The delegation, led by Tharoor, visited the US on the last leg of a multi-nation tour to brief key interlocutors about Operation Sindoor which India launched in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack which claimed 26 lives.
The delegation was 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.
The group arrived in the US capital on June 3 and over the course of three days held a wide array of meetings on Capitol Hill as well as in Washington, briefing American government officials as well as lawmakers about India's stance on cross-border terrorism.
The team had earlier travelled to Guyana, Panama, Colombia and Brazil before arriving in Washington for the last leg of the tour.
The other members of the delegation were Sarfaraz Ahmad (JMM), Ganti Harish Madhur Balayogi (TDP), Shashank Mani Tripathi (BJP), Bhubaneswar Kalita (BJP), Milind Deora (Shiv Sena), Tejasvi Surya (BJP) and India's former Ambassador to the US Taranjit Sandhu.
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam terror attack, with India carrying out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7.
The on-ground hostilities from the Indian and Pakistan sides that lasted for four days ended with an understanding of stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10.
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New Zealand women's captain Sophie Devine to retire from ODIs after World Cup
Auckland, Jun 17 (PTI): New Zealand women's team captain and prolific all-rounder Sophie Devine will retire from the ODIs after the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka later this year.
The 35-year-old is widely regarded as one of the most prolific all-rounders in women's cricket, having amassed 3990 runs from 152 ODIs at an average of 31.66 with the help of eight centuries. She has also scored 3431 runs from 146 T20Is with one century.
She has also taken 107 and 119 wickets in the ODIs and T20Is respectively. She, however, has not played in any Test.
"It feels like the right time for me to start stepping away. I feel very fortunate to have NZC’s support in finding a solution that means I can still give to the WHITE FERNS," said Devine in a statement issued by New Zealand Cricket on Tuesday.
Devine's statement came ahead of the announcement of the 17 centrally contracted players by New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on Wednesday. She will remain available for T20I cricket on a "casual playing arrangement" but will not be centrally contracted.
"It's important that everyone knows I'm focused and dedicated to giving this group everything I can before I step away. I'm really excited by where this young group’s going and I'm looking forward to playing my part in the next six to nine months."
Her decision to retire after the ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka from September 30 to November 2 came after Devine took a break from cricket to prioritise her mental health in January. She will lead the team in the ODI World Cup in September.
Devine was permanent captain of the White Ferns in 2020, and has since led the team to new heights, including a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and a maiden ICC Women's T20 World Cup victory last year.
NZC's head of women's high performance Liz Green said Devine had the organisation's full support.
"Sophie's given nearly 20 years of service to the White Ferns and NZC is fully supportive of her quest to find more balance at this stage in her career," Green said.
"We're pleased to be able to reach an agreement that means she can continue to be involved with the White Ferns on a case-by-case basis, whilst opening up the opportunity for another player to be contracted in full."
NZC Chief Executive Scott Weenink praised Devine’s contribution to the White Ferns.
"Sophie has been an extraordinary leader and ambassador for the WHITE FERNS. Supporting her move to a casual playing agreement will allow her to continue contributing to the WHITE FERNS environment," he said.
The White Ferns are scheduled to begin their World Cup campaign against seven-time champions Australia on October 1 in Indore.
