In New Delhi on Monday, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who chairs the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, revealed that Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had reiterated the strategic significance of India’s relationship with the United States. He noted that the bond between New Delhi and Washington goes far beyond trade, encompassing various sectors where cooperation remains active and meaningful.
Tharoor’s statement came after a three-hour committee meeting involving 22 members who engaged extensively with both the Foreign and Commerce Secretaries. Discussions focused on pressing foreign policy matters, including ongoing US-India trade negotiations and tariff issues. According to Tharoor, members posed over 50 questions, and the officials provided detailed clarifications, stressing that multiple subjects are under dialogue with the US alongside trade.
The Congress leader also criticized Pakistan’s Army Chief, General Syed Asim Munir, for making provocative statements about India during his visit to the US. Tharoor expressed concern over the misuse of a friendly country’s platform to deliver such remarks, dismissing what he termed Pakistan’s habitual “nuclear sabre-rattling.” He emphasized that no Indian political party condones yielding to such intimidation, affirming that nuclear threats will not influence India’s stance.
During his trip, Munir claimed that Pakistan would never allow India to restrict the Indus River’s flow and warned of destroying any dam India might construct on it. He made these remarks at an event hosted by the Pakistani-American community in Tampa, Florida, calling the river a shared resource rather than India’s property.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) swiftly responded, labeling Pakistan’s nuclear rhetoric as irresponsible and reinforcing doubts about its nuclear command integrity, particularly given the military’s ties to militant groups. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal highlighted that such comments, made on the soil of a friendly third nation, were regrettable.
Reports from Pakistani media indicated that Munir visited two US cities before traveling to Belgium, marking his second high-profile US visit in under two months. India has made it clear that it will not succumb to nuclear blackmail and will take all measures necessary to safeguard its national security.
