New Delhi: Shashi Tharoor on Sunday said he was "raised in an India where you are expected to speak kindly of people when they die", countering strong criticism as he termed Pervez Musharraf as 'foe-turned-real force for peace' in his condolence message.
"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," Mr Tharoor said in a tweet.
Mr Tharoor on Sunday condoled the death of the former Pakistan military ruler 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," Mr Tharoor said in a tweet.
"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.
Musharraf died on Sunday at American Hospital in the UAE after a prolonged illness, reported Daily Pakistan.
Mr Tharoor's post brought fierce criticism from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar hit out at Mr Tharoor saying his post "best describes Cong" (Congress).
Mr Chandrashekhar while taking to Twitter, 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" n develop "clear strategic thinking". Not withstandng many lives lost n Intl laws violated n harm caused all around, these Generals will hv their admiring fans in India (sic)," the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar wrote in his tweet.
In another tweet, Mr 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."
Musharraf was Pakistan's army chief 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.
He served as the 10th Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Pakistan (CJCSC) from 1998 to 2001 and the 7th top general from 1998 to 2007.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)