New Delhi, April 11 The Congress on Saturday questioned the government's "failure" to prevent Washington from granting Islamabad the role of a mediator between the two warring countries, despite New Delhi's diplomatic efforts to isolate it following the April 2025 Pahalgam attack.
This raises serious questions about "the self-proclaimed global leader's diplomacy," said Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh, alluding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Congress leader's remarks came shortly before US Vice President J D Vance arrived in Pakistan to hold crucial talks with an Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, aimed at ending the conflict in West Asia.
In a post on X, Ramesh said the US-Iran meeting is beginning today in Islamabad, and the entire world, including India, is hoping that this marks the beginning of a durable peace process between the two countries "that will not be derailed by Israel's continued aggression in its neighborhood."
"But serious questions about the substance and style of the self-proclaimed global leader's diplomacy arise – How has Pakistan managed to carve out a new role for itself despite its role in the dastardly Pahalgam terror attack of April 2025 and the diplomatic engagement India mounted to isolate it following the attacks?" he asked.
"This failure is especially damning because the Dr Manmohan Singh Government had very effectively isolated Pakistan after the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008," he said.
Ramesh further asked, "How has India allowed the US to grant Pakistan this new role even after the Namaste Trump, Howdy Modi, and Phir Ek Baar Trump Sarkar campaigns of Mr. Modi and his supporters?"
He alleged that India also agreed to a "very one-sided" trade deal where it gave much more than what it got and yet the Modi government failed to gain any leverage with the US.
"Why didn't India, as the current President of BRICS+, launch any peace or mediation initiative -- especially since Iran, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia are members of BRICS+?"
"What has India gained from its calibrated capitulation to China in the past eighteen months -- especially in view of China's pivotal role in Pakistan's response to Operation Sindoor and its continued support for Pakistan?" the Congress leader asked.
Peace in West Asia must return quickly, Ramesh said.
"The Strait of Hormuz must once again revert to the situation that prevailed before the US-Israel assault on Iran began on February 28 – a mere two days after Mr. Modi had completed a most ill-advised and ill-timed visit to Israel," he said.
The US-Iran talks are taking place amid a two-week halt in the war, which began with Washington and Tel Aviv launching attacks on the Islamic Republic on February 28.
The war has caused oil prices to spiral due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route through which 20 per cent of the world's energy is transported.