New Delhi : The Congress on Monday launched a fresh attack on the BJP-led central government over Pakistan’s role in the US-Iran peace talks, claiming that Islamabad hosting the second round of negotiations reflects a major diplomatic setback for India. The ‘dalal’ country, as the erudite and always nattily dressed External Affairs Minister described it, is reportedly hosting the second round of US-Iran peace talks today, the Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posted on X, also adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “simply incapable” of undertaking such a diplomatic overhaul.
Ramesh’s remarks referred to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s earlier statement that India cannot act as a “dalal nation” – meaning a broker – in global geopolitics, made in response to questions about Pakistan mediating the talks. Reports have suggested that the US and Iran were preparing for a second round of negotiations, with President Trump expressing optimism about reaching a deal after the first round concluded without a breakthrough.
The Congress leader also pointed out that following the first round of talks on April 12, Pakistan secured USD 6 billion from Saudi Arabia and Qatar to repay a USD 3.5 billion loan from the UAE and retire a USD 1.43 billion Eurobond tranche. Despite its economic challenges, Pakistan is “playing a pivotal diplomatic role”, Ramesh said, while also accusing it of harbouring terrorists and citing past incidents.
He further argued that both the substance and style of Modi’s regional and global engagement have failed to isolate Pakistan, which, he claimed, has managed to rebrand itself diplomatically. Comparing the situation with the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks during the UPA government, Ramesh said India’s current approach has not yielded similar results. Calling Munir’s growing proximity to Trump a “particularly severe setback” for India, Ramesh alleged that Pakistan had been more effective in managing the Trump ecosystem.
That Field Marshal Asim Munir – whose provocative and inflammatory remarks provided the oxygen for the Pahalgam terror attack – has become such a huge favourite of President Trump is a particularly severe setback for India. That the Field Marshal and his colleagues seem to have succeeded in managing the Trump ecosystem of family and associates much better than India is obvious,” he wrote on X.
Read Also : 7.4 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Northern Japan, Tsunami Warnings Issued