The government slammed Pakistan at an all-party meeting on the West Asia crisis on Wednesday, with the Centre hitting out at Islamabad over their reported role as the mediator between United States and Iran in the ongoing conflict. India's foreign minister S Jaishankar slams Pakistan at all-party meeting on Wednesday (File photo)
Responding sharply to concerns around Pakistan’s reported mediation efforts, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said, “We are not a dalaal (Broker) nation,” news agency PTI reported citing sources.
The response came even as the Opposition questioned India’s stance and response to the fast-evolving situation in the West Asia. The remark comes even as Pakistan emerged as a potential host for negotiations between the US and Iran, with US President Donald Trump seeming to endorse Islamabad's role.
Jaishankar added that there was “nothing new” about Pakistan’s role, the country has been “used” by the US since 1981, PTI reported citing sources.
At the meeting, the government further added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had conveyed to US President Donald Trump that the war must end soon, stressing that the ongoing conflict is hurting all sides.
Govt rejects ‘silence’ charge The government also dismissed Opposition claims that New Delhi had remained silent on the crisis. According to the news agency sources, the government asserted that “we are commenting and responding.”
On the question of India’s response to developments in Iran, the government said due protocol had been followed. It pointed out that when the Iran embassy was opened, the foreign secretary visited immediately and signed the condolence book, countering allegations of a delayed or weak response over the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israel strike.
Opposition calls response ‘unsatisfactory’ Opposition leaders, however, remained unconvinced. They termed the government’s replies at the meeting “unsatisfactory” and demanded a full discussion on the issue in Parliament.
Congress leader Tariq Anwar criticised the Centre, saying Pakistan appeared to be playing mediator while “we are still mute spectators.” He called for a debate in the Lok Sabha under Rule 193 and in the Rajya Sabha under Rule 176.
The high-level meeting, held at the Parliament complex, saw participation from key members of the cabinet committee on security, including defence minister Rajnath Singh, home minister Amit Shah, external affairs minister S Jaishankar and finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Health minister JP Nadda and parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju were also present. Foreign secretary Vikram Misri briefed leaders with a detailed presentation.
From the Opposition, leaders including Tariq Anwar and Mukul Wasnik (Congress), Dharmendra Yadav (Samajwadi Party) and Sasmit Patra (BJD) attended the discussions.