Tharoor questions India’s representation at Gaza Peace Summit

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has questioned the government’s decision to send a junior minister to the Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt, where heads of state from over 20 countries, including US President Donald Trump, are gathered to discuss ending the Israel-Hamas war.

“India’s presence at the Sharm el-Sheikh Gaza peace summit, at the level of a Minister of State, stands in stark contrast to the heads of state gathered there. Strategic restraint or missed opportunity?” Tharoor wrote on X.

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He emphasized that his remarks were not a reflection on Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh’s competence but rather on the level of representation.

“Given the galaxy of grandees present, India’s choice could be seen as signalling a preference for strategic distance, which our statements don’t convey,” he said.

Tharoor also expressed concern about the potential impact on India’s voice in the summit’s discussions. “And for reasons of protocol access alone, India’s voice at the Summit on issues of reconstruction and regional stability may carry less weight than it could have. In a region reshaping itself, our relative absence is puzzling,” he concluded.

The Gaza Peace Summit aims to forge a lasting resolution to the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict. The summit comes amid a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with the World Health Organisation warning of “alarming levels” of malnutrition.