Global acceptance of Pakistan a failure of Indian foreign policy: Jairam Ramesh

In the context of Pakistan mediating between the United States and Iran to resolve the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Jairam Ramesh, general secretary (communications) of the Indian National Congress, on Sunday (March 29, 2026) criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party led government’s foreign policy, alleging that Pakistan’s renewed global acceptance reflected failures in India’s diplomatic engagement and narrative management.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Mr. Ramesh described Pakistan as a country where “democracy is a farce,” its economy “a basket case dependent on the IMF, China , and Saudi Arabia,” and one long regarded as “a haven for terrorists” whose activities have targeted neighbours and countries across the world. He noted that successive U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden had taken a tough approach toward Islamabad.

Mr. Ramesh argued that despite Pakistan’s isolation after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, it had recently regained international acceptance. Citing External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s description of Pakistan as a “dalal”, he said this shift underscored what he termed the “colossal failure” of the Modi government’s foreign policy, even after India’s military success in “Operation Sindoor”.

He added that U.S. President Donald Trump, whom Prime Minister Narendra Modi has publicly called a “good friend”, had also contributed to Pakistan’s current standing. Mr. Ramesh questioned why the Prime Minister, despite showcasing close ties with Washington at events such as the Howdy Modi rally in Houston in 2019 and the Namaste Trump event in Ahmedabad in 2020, had “allowed this to happen”.

The Congress leader further alleged that the government’s attempts to curry favour with the U.S., including what he called a “betrayal of India’s farmers” through a trade deal granting American agricultural interests unprecedented market access, had yielded no diplomatic leverage.

Referring to the Prime Minister’s frequent public claims of global outreach through phone calls with world leaders, Mr. Ramesh said the “unravelling” of what he described as a “heavily personality driven foreign policy” had exposed the “Vishwaguru” persona as a “Vishwaphoney”.