Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that with the nation demanding military action against Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack, a visible military response is now inevitable, as tensions between the two countries rise following the killing of 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir. Tharoor, a former diplomat, described it as part of a "long pattern" over the past 25 years, where Pakistan consistently denies involvement in terror attacks in India, despite training and arming militants across the border. "I think it's very clear that there is a pattern. People are encouraged, trained, armed, and often guided from across the border. Then Pakistan denies all responsibility. Eventually, responsibility is established and proven, including by foreign intelligence agencies," he briefed the news agency ANI.

Tharoor noted that India had responded strongly after the Uri attacks in 2016 and the Pulwama attacks in 2019. He hinted that Pakistan could face an even tougher reaction from India this time.

"After Uri, the government did a surgical strike across the border, and after Pulwama, there was the Balakot air strike. Today, I think we are going to see more than that. It is clear that while we have a range of options - diplomatic, economic, intelligence sharing, covert, and overt action. Some sort of visible military response is unavoidable," stated the Thiruvananthapuram MP. "The nation is demanding it and expecting it. No one knows what it will be, where it will be, or when it will be. But I am convinced there will be some response," he further said.

Tharoor responded to Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the Pakistan Peoples Party chief, over his remark that "blood will flow" after India suspended the Indus Water Treaty. "This is just inflammatory rhetoric. Pakistanis must understand they simply cannot kill Indians with impunity. We don't want to do anything to Pakistanis. But if they do something to us, then be prepared for a response. If blood is going to flow, it will flow possibly more on their side than ours," expressed Shashi Tharoor.

Tuesday’s terror attack in the picturesque Pahalgam, often called Mini Switzerland, was the deadliest assault since Article 370 was revoked in 2019. Investigations have pointed to the involvement of a terror outfit linked to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. Following the attack, ties between India and Pakistan have worsened, with both sides taking retaliatory steps, such as cancelling visas. Tensions have also escalated along the Line of Control, with Pakistan frequently breaching the ceasefire agreement.

In response, India has terminated the Indus Water Treaty. At the same time, Pakistan, often labelled a "global epicentre of terrorism," has discontinued all its bilateral agreements with India, which include the Simla Agreement.