New Delhi, Aug 2
Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Saturday questioned the effectiveness of India's global diplomatic outreach following the Pahalgam terror attack, claiming that, except for Israel, no country has explicitly held Pakistan responsible.
Referring to the 'Operation Sindoor' outreach, in which a host of leaders from political parties in India, including Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor visited several countries to present India's case, Aiyar said the effort yielded no concrete results.
He said that despite extensive foreign visits and statements, India has failed to convince the international community that Pakistan was behind the attack.
"Shashi Tharoor and his friends can roam around as much as they want, but apart from Israel, no one else said that Pakistan was behind the Pahalgam terror attack. Everyone is condemning the terrorism, but no one is willing to blame Pakistan," Aiyar told IANS in an interview.
Citing the UN Security Council meeting held after the attack, he pointed out that the statement issued later condemned terrorism but did not name Pakistan.
"In the UN Security Council meeting, the final statement condemned the terrorism, but they did not mention who was behind it -- Pakistan's name was not mentioned. No one to date has said that Pakistan is responsible," Aiyar added.
"Only we claim that Pakistan is responsible. We are not able to present any evidence. We are not able to name the Pakistani agency which was behind the attack. The world is not accepting what India is saying. PM Modi travels a lot, but what did we get in return?" he said.
He also referred to US President Donald Trump's assertions about brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan -- claims that New Delhi has repeatedly denied -- and said that while Islamabad acknowledges it, India has denied any mediation, thereby gaining nothing from the situation.
"Trump is also claiming credit for India and the ceasefire agreement. Pakistan is accepting it, but India has denied the claims of any mediation. Hence, Islamabad is getting all the benefits, and we are facing the punishment," Aiyar added.
— IANS
Reader Comments
It's disappointing but true - the world turns a blind eye to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. We need stronger evidence and better coordination between MEA and intelligence agencies before making public statements.
The Congress party criticizing diplomacy? Irony died a thousand deaths! When they were in power, 26/11 happened and they couldn't get Pakistan banned as terrorist state. At least now we have Israel's support.
As an international observer, I must say India needs to work on its evidence presentation. The world operates on proof, not emotions. Stronger documentation of Pakistan's involvement would help your case immensely.
Why is Aiyar ji giving ammunition to Pakistan? Even if we have challenges, shouldn't we present united front? This constant negativity from opposition helps no one except terrorists. Shame!
The real issue is geopolitics - Western nations need Pakistan for Afghanistan. That's why they ignore terrorism against India. We must strengthen our own position rather than expecting others to fight our battles.
Aiyar makes valid points but his timing is wrong. We should debate this internally, not give soundbytes to international media. Our soldiers deserve better than political point-scoring over their sacrifices 😔