Congress: PM Modi’s foreign policy failed; India isolated diplomatically, mute spectator to Pak’s actions

New Delhi: The Congress said that India stands isolated diplomatically because of the alleged failures of PM Modi-led government’s foreign policy. “Even our all-weather friends/allies have not spoken a single word in our favour,” the opposition party said.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, party spokesperson and the chairperson of Social Media and Digital Platforms Supriya Shrinate noted that India was paying a huge price for the total collapse and failure of PM Modi-led government’s foreign policy.

Who is behind the ceasefire?

“In a complete collapse of India’s foreign policy, it’s no longer just President Trump taking credit for the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, but now even our all-weather ally Russia believes Trump mediated the ceasefire,” she pointed out, while remarking, “Modi’s silence is deafening.”

Maintaining that India had been isolated diplomatically, she pointed out, not a single country in the world stood by us after the terror attack in Pahalgam. She said, at the same time, Pakistan was getting international recognition at multilateral agencies like the UN and financial aid from institutions like the IMF, the ADB and the WB - where India once yielded significant influence, but are now mute spectators.

All in national interest

Supriya Shrinate said this was despite the presence of dreaded terrorists like Hafiz Sayed, Masood Azhar and before that Osama Bin Laden having been given protection by that country.

She said, it was not so before 2014 when Pakistan was deemed to be a terrorist state. She observed, it was the failure of the government's foreign policy that had allowed India and Pakistan to be de-hyphenated. So much so, she added, Pakistan was having a free run with the international agencies like the IMF, which granted it a $3 billion loan, $800 million by the ADB, just two days after the chairman met Modi and the World Bank, which is planning a $40 billion investment in Pakistan.

She asked, what did the Prime Minister gain from visiting 90 countries, except for getting himself photographed there. “Foreign policy does not mean creating reels with laser red eyes, it means keeping the national interest paramount and above everything,” she remarked.

Purpose of all-party delegation

She also asked what the multi-party delegations that visited different countries across the world had really achieved and accomplished, pointing out that none of the delegations had been able to meet any of the heads of State they visited, nor had any country issued any statement in favour of India or condemned Pakistan.

The party asked how many countries, where the delegations visited, spoke in favour of India or condemned Pakistan. “The fact that our delegations hardly met any heads of States is a failure of our foreign affairs ministry.”

Shrinate pointed out, Trump had so far mentioned it 11 times that he had mediated the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, and still there was no word from Prime Minister Modi, who was observing a pin drop silence.

G-7 meet

The Congress spokesperson asked who should be held responsible for Canada not inviting India to the G-7 meet? She recalled it was in the same Canada on whose soil back in 2010, the then US President Barack Obama had said about Dr Manmohan Singh, the then Prime Minister of India, that when he (Dr Singh) speaks the world listens.

Referring to the Prime Minister’s visit to inaugurate the Katra-Kashmir rail link, she pointed out, even after 45 days he did not bother to visit the people martyred by Pakistan shelling, while he went everywhere else across the country. “He is there simply to inaugurate, he doesn’t care about Kashmir or about innocent tourists or the martyred Innocent civilians in Poonch.”

Where are the Pahalgam attack terrorists?

Drawing parallels between the way UPA handled the 26/11 attacks with the way the Modi government handled the Pahalgam terror attack, she pointed out, each and every terrorist was killed and brought to book in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. But, she asked, “What happened to the three dreaded terrorists who killed so many people in Pahalgam. Why are they still at large?” She also referred to media reports suggesting that the same terrorists were involved in at least three more terror attacks prior to the Pahalgam attack.