Shashi Tharoor reacts amid row over Pervez Musharraf tweet: ‘He was no friend but…’

Facing criticism for describing former Pakistani prime minister Pervez Musharraf as “foe-turned-real force for peace” in his condolence message, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday claimed he was raised in an India where “you are expected to speak kindly of people when they die”.

"I was raised in an India where you are expected to speak kindly of people when they die. Musharraf was an implacable enemy and was responsible for Kargil but he did work for peace w/India, in his own interest, 2002-7. He was no friend but he saw strategic benefit in peace, as did we," Tharoor tweeted.

Soon after the demise of the former Pakistan military ruler, Tharoor triggered a row stating that “once an implacable foe of India, he became a real force for peace between 2002-2007”.

"'Pervez Musharraf, Former Pakistani President, Dies of Rare Disease': once an implacable foe of India, he became a real force for peace 2002-2007," Tharoor tweeted.

"I met him annually in those days at the @un & found him smart, engaging & clear in his strategic thinking. RIP," the former minister of state for external affairs said.

But shortly, many BJP leaders, including Union minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar, hit out at the Congress leader Shashi Tharoor. Chandrashekhar slammed the grand old party for finding peace in a person who "inflicted terror a backstabbing conflict and tortured our soldiers in violation of every International law".

"Nothing like a proper military thrashing for Fatcat Pak Dictator Generals to become a 'force for peace' and develop ‘clear strategic thinking’. Not withstandng many lives lost n Intl laws violated n harm caused all around, these Generals will have their admiring fans in India (sic)," the minister of state for electronics and information technology tweeted.

In another tweet, Chandrasekhar said, "That a former Cong Foreign Min (a party that refused to celebrate Kargil Vijay Diwas till 2010) wud think that a Pak General who inflicted terror, a backstabbing conflict n tortured our Soldiers in violation of every Intl law, wud be a ‘force for peace’ - best describes Cong."

Tagging Tharoor's earlier tweets, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, "Pervez Musharraf architect of Kargil, dictator, accused of heinous crimes who considered Taliban & Osama as 'brothers' & 'heroes' who refused to even take back bodies of his own dead soldiers is being hailed by Congress! Are you surprised? Again, Congress ki pak parasti!"

"Once upon a time Musharraf had hailed Rahul Gandhi as a gentleman perhaps that endears Congress to Musharraf??" he said.

"From 370 to Surgical Strike to doubting Balakote Congress echoed Pak line & hails Musharraf but called our own chief 'Sadak Ka Gunda'..This is Congress!!" Poonawalla said.

In another tweet, the BJP leader shared an old video of Musharraf talking about his son being invited by Rahul Gandhi and Musharraf's wife, brother and son being invited for lunch by former prime minister Manmohan Singh when they were on a Delhi visit, during his tenure as the Pakistan president.

"Parvez Musharraf who had hailed Osama Bin Laden & Taliban had sung praises of Rahul Gandhi too - called him a gentleman and pledged his support to him!! Perhaps this is the reason why Shashi Tharoor is eulogising the architect of Kargil & a backer of terrorism!! Sigh," Poonawalla said in his tweet, tagging the video.

BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia also slammed Tharoor saying, "Sharm ek Sheikh to Sharm Kar Shashi. Misplaced priorities of a former external affairs minister."

"Congress eulogising a person who attacked our country during Kargil. Indians revere martyrs Capt Vikram Batra, Lt Manoj Pandey, Grn Yogendra Yadav, Rifleman Sanjay Kumar not Pervez," he said.

Musharraf, who lived in self-imposed exile in the UAE to avoid criminal charges against him in Pakistan, died at the American Hospital in Dubai.

Musharraf passed away on Sunday at American Hospital in UAE after a prolonged illness. Musharraf was the Pakistan Army general during the Kargil war between India and Pakistan. The conflict between the two countries is believed to have been orchestrated by Musharraf without the knowledge of the then Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Musharraf was the tenth president of Pakistan after a successful military coup in 1999.