Ramesh slams govt over foreign policy, flags ‘diplomatic setback’

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday strongly criticised the Centre’s foreign policy, claiming India’s diplomatic standing has weakened amid reports of Pakistan being considered as a mediator in the ongoing West Asia conflict.

In a post on X, Ramesh targeted External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, accusing him of trying to “cover up India’s extreme embarrassment” internationally. He remarked that the minister was attempting to manage the fallout of what he described as a setback to India’s regional diplomacy.

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Calling Pakistan’s reported mediation role “truly atrocious,” Ramesh pointed to its past record, including allegations of sponsoring terrorism, sheltering figures like Osama bin Laden, and violating nuclear non-proliferation norms through the network linked to A. Q. Khan. He also accused the country of targeting civilian infrastructure and engaging in internal repression.

Ramesh further argued that Pakistan’s consideration as a mediator reflected poorly on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s diplomatic approach, describing it as overly aggressive in tone but lacking substance.

Drawing a comparison with the period after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, he said under former prime minister Manmohan Singh, India had succeeded in diplomatically isolating Pakistan. In contrast, he claimed that more recent incidents — such as remarks attributed to Asim Munir and the April 22, 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam — had not led to similar global pressure.

He also alleged that Pakistan has instead gained renewed relevance internationally, suggesting that sections of the global community, including figures linked to US President Donald Trump, have shown support toward its leadership.

Responding to the External Affairs Minister’s remark that India is not a “broker country,” Ramesh argued that recent developments indicate otherwise. He claimed that failures in diplomacy, outreach, and narrative management had allowed a “broken country” to assume a mediatory role, which he said reflected negatively on the government’s foreign policy record.

The comments come amid continuing political debate over India’s handling of regional and global developments tied to the West Asia situation.