Govt a 'mute spectator' in West Asia crisis: Salman Khurshid

Congress leaders Salman Khurshid and Jairam Ramesh slammed the government's foreign policy on the West Asia crisis. Khurshid called the government a 'mute spectator,' while Ramesh questioned Pakistan hosting US-Iran talks and criticized 'huglomacy'.

Khurshid Slams Govt's 'Mute Spectator' Role

Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Saturday took a dig at the government over the West Asia crisis, alleging that India did not play its role of being an "ambassador of peace" and the government stayed just "a mute spectator". He said situation can be saved if talks in Pakistan between US and Iran yield some result but if talks don't go well, things can go out of hand.

"If something comes out of talks, the situation can be saved. But if the talks don't go well, or they don't understand or agree with each other, things will go out of hand. It is not possible to say today if the war will happen again. It is being opposed at several places in the world today - in Europe and by the public in US. So, this is being opposed everywhere. It is being opposed even in Israel. So, will the leadership there have the guts to wage a war again, knowing well its adverse effects on the entire world?" he asked.

"We want there to be no war again, that there be peace. But unfortunately, the role that we should have played - that we are ambassadors of peace and give good suggestions to the world - was not played by this Govt. The Govt stayed just a mute spectator," he alleged.

Jairam Ramesh Questions 'Huglomacy'

Earlier, party leader Jairam Ramesh slammed the government. "The US-Iran meeting is beginning today in Islamabad. The entire world, including India, are hoping that this is the beginning of a durable peace process between the two countries that will not get derailed by Israel's continuing agression in its neighbourhood," he said in a post on X. "But serious questions about the substance and style of the self-declared Vishwaguru's huglomacy 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? This failure is especially damming because the Dr Manmohan Singh Government had very effectively isolated Pakistan after the Mumbai terror attacks in Nov 2008," he added. (ANI)

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