‘Listen Carefully!’: Jaishankar Dares Congress
EAM Addresses Operation Sindoor Discussion, Reaffirms Anti-Mediation Stance and Critiques Congress on Historical Treaties.
- EAM Jaishankar confirmed no Trump-Modi calls from April 22-June 16, refuting mediation claims.
- He reaffirmed India’s bilateral-only stance with Pakistan, requiring DGMO request for de-escalation.
- Jaishankar criticized Congress’s “uncomfortable” view of history and Nehru’s “mistakes” on the Indus Water Treaty.
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 30th July: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday addressed the Rajya Sabha during a discussion on Operation Sindoor, strongly refuting claims of US mediation in the India-Pakistan conflict and clarifying the timeline of high-level diplomatic communication. He also launched a sharp critique of the Congress party’s historical approach to sensitive treaties and foreign policy matters.
Jaishankar firmly stated that there were no direct phone calls between then-President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the critical period from April 22 to June 16. “Main unko kehna chahta hoon, woh kaan kholke sun le. 22 April se 16 June tak, ek bhi phone call President Trump aur Prime Minister Modi ke beech mein nahi hua (I want to tell them to listen carefully: from April 22 to June 16, not a single phone call took place between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi),” Jaishankar asserted in the Upper House of Parliament.
He further emphasized India’s unwavering stance against third-party mediation in India-Pakistan issues. The Union Minister reiterated that any dialogue between the two nations must be strictly bilateral and that for any cessation of conflict, Pakistan must formally initiate the request through the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) channel. “When Operation Sindoor commenced, a number of countries were in touch with us to see how serious the situation was and how long it would go… We gave the same message to all the countries… that we were not open to any mediation. Anything between us and Pakistan will only be bilateral… And that we were responding to the Pakistani attack, and we would keep responding. If that fighting was to stop, Pakistan must make a request. And that request could only come through the channel of the DGMO…,” Jaishankar stated.
The External Affairs Minister also targeted the Congress, suggesting they are “uncomfortable with history.” He made these remarks while discussing India’s decision to put the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack. Mr. Jaishankar highlighted what he termed Congress’s “mistakes” in handling the treaty, emphasizing its unique and crucial nature. “The Indus Water Treaty in many ways is a very unique agreement. I cannot think of any agreement in the world where a country has allowed its major rivers to flow to the next country without having rights on that river,” he noted.
He further criticized Jawaharlal Nehru’s statement in Parliament back in 1960 regarding the treaty. “On November 30th 1960. He (Jawaharlal Nehru) says I would like to know if this house is to judge the quantum of supply of water or money to be given. People objected to that. PM also said, ‘Let me do this treaty for the interest of Pakistani Punjab, not a word about farmers of Kashmir or Punjab. Not a word about Rajasthan or Gujarat’,” Mr. Jaishankar quoted. He concluded by asserting that Prime Minister Modi has “corrected” Nehru’s “mistakes” concerning the Indus Water Treaty and Article 370.
