Who is Ishaan Tharoor, journalist who questioned Congress MP father
What's the story
Ishaan Tharoor, a journalist with The Washington Post, recently made headlines for questioning his father, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, during a press conference in New York. Shashi was in the US as part of India's diplomatic outreach following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. At the conference, Ishaan stood up to ask his father questions on the terror attack, when the Congress MP quipped, "That shouldn't be allowed. This is my son."
Press conference
Ishaan's question to Shashi
Introducing himself as "Ishaan Tharoor of the Washington Post," he then went on to tell his father, "Definitely asking a question in a personal capacity. And mostly to say hi before you go off to your next engagement." During the interaction, Ishaan also asked his father whether any of his "government interlocutors asked you to show evidence of Pakistan's culpability in the initial attacks," as he has been touring countries in the western hemisphere.
Response
'I'm very glad you raised this'
The senior Tharoor then replied, "Well, I'm very glad you raised this, Ishan. I didn't plant it, I promise you. This guy does this to his dad." "Very simply, no one had any doubt and we were not asked for evidence. But the media have asked in two or three places. Let me say very clearly that India would not have done this without convincing evidence," he said.
Twitter Post
Watch the video here
VIDEO | Washington DC: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) responds to a question from Ishaan Tharoor, on Pakistan denying involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack. Here's what he said
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 5, 2025
"No one had any doubt. We were not asked for evidence, but the media has asked this… pic.twitter.com/D1yQAixxMu
Early life
Ishaan studied at Yale University
Ishaan was born in Singapore in 1984. He studied history and ethnicity, as well as race and migration, at Yale University, graduating in 2006. He started his journalism career with Time magazine in 2006 before becoming a senior editor for the New York City area. In 2014, he moved to The Washington Post.
Teaching role
He taught 'Global Affairs in the Digital Age'
Ishaan also contributed to academia as an adjunct instructor at Georgetown University from 2018. He taught 'Global Affairs in the Digital Age' at the university's School of Foreign Service. According to his Washington Post page, in 2021, he won the Arthur Ross Media Award in Commentary, a prize administered by the American Academy of Diplomacy.