Congressman Shashi Tharoor expressed his displeasure with the Modi government for not taking the lead in peace efforts to end the ongoing US-Iran war in the Middle East, saying he “cannot be happy” with Pakistan leading the mediation.
Opposition parties in the country, including the Congress, have raised objections over Prime Minister Narendra Modi not taking the initiative to mediate a cessation of hostilities between Iran and the United States. Follow live updates of the war between the US and Iran
Tensions erupted in the Middle East after joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, which also resulted in the killing of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Since then, the conflict has escalated, with threats of a major global energy crisis constantly emerging in the wake of Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
“A bit embarrassing for all of us.”
Speaking to news agency ANI, Tharoor said the current situation is “embarrassing” for India. He said he supports the Modi government’s silence because he hopes the Center will seize the opportunity to take the initiative in brokering peace.
“Right now, I’m sorry to say, things are not looking good. It’s a bit embarrassing for all of us. One of the reasons I supported the government’s restraint and silence on this Iran war is because I was hoping the government would use this to create space for peacemaking and be a leading voice for peace, as Prime Minister Modi has often said India should be,” he said.
Noting that Pakistan is now leading mediation efforts with Türkiye and Egypt, Tharoor said: “I cannot be happy about that.”
In a separate statement to news agency PTI, Shashi Tharoor said that India has nothing to do with whether peace talks are taking place in Pakistan or not.
“I called on India nearly three weeks ago to take a leadership stance and leverage its good relations with both sides in a peace initiative,” he added.
He wished “good luck” to Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey in their mediation efforts. “We all want peace,” the Congress leader said. ‘
“But India is not getting any credit while Pakistan is holding peace talks,” Shashi Tharoor added.
EAM Jaishankar counters Oppn’s charge of ‘silence’
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar gave a sharp response to the opposition’s charge of “silence” against the Center and concerns over Pakistan’s mediation efforts.
“We are not a dalal nation,” news agency PTI reported, citing sources.
Jaishankar added that there was “nothing new” about Pakistan’s role, as the US had been “using” the country since 1981, PTI reported, citing sources.
At an all-party meeting on the West Asia crisis on Wednesday, the Center also said that Prime Minister Modi told US President Donald Trump that the war must end soon and stressed that the ongoing conflict was hurting all parties.
