Pakistan which was in a hugely precarious situation, politically, socially, economically and globally, has received a fresh lease of life, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
The Congress on Tuesday (March 24, 2026) said that if reports of Pakistan being one of the intermediaries between the U.S.-Israel and Iran are true, then they represent a “severe setback” and “rebuff” to India.
The Opposition party claimed that in spite of India’s undoubted military successes in Operation Sindoor, the sad reality is that thereafter Pakistan’s diplomatic engagement and narrative management has been “markedly superior to that of the Modi government”.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said multiple reports in leading international media outlets have identified Pakistan as one of the intermediaries being used between the U.S. and Israel on the one side and Iran on the other.
“If these reports are true, they represent a severe setback and rebuff to India – and it is all attributable to the self-styled Vishwaguru,” Mr. Ramesh said on X.
“For over a year, it has been abundantly clear that in spite of our undoubted military successes in Operation Sindoor, the sad reality is that thereafter Pakistan’s diplomatic engagement and narrative management has been markedly superior to that of the Modi government,” he said.
Pakistan which was in a hugely precarious situation, politically, socially, economically and globally, has received a fresh lease of life, Mr. Ramesh said.
“President Trump warmly and repeatedly embraced the man whose incendiary and inflammatory rhetoric formed the backdrop to the Pahalgam terror attacks on April 22 2025, and hosted Field Marshall Asim Munir twice in the White House (including for an unprecedented lunch). The Pakistani establishment has developed a cosy relationship with President Trump’s immediate circle,” he claimed.
“Mr. Modi’s ill-advised visit to Israel, that ended just two days before the unprovoked US-Israel aerial assaults on Iran began, will go down in our political history as a singularly disastrous choice – one that has made us retreat from a position where we could and should have mediated,” the Congress leader said.
The Prime Minister’s “huglomacy” stands brutally exposed, he said, adding that the country is being forced to pay a price for this.
President Donald Trump on Monday (March 23, 2026) said the U.S. was talking with a respected Iranian leader and claimed the Islamic Republic was eager for a deal to end the war, Mr. Trump, however, refused to name the Iranian leader the U.S. is in talks with to end the three-week-old war, asserting that the interlocutor was a top person who is most respected in that country.
Speaking to reporters at the Palm Beach International Airport in Florida, Mr. Trump made it clear that the U.S. was not in talks with the second Supreme Leader, a reference to Ayatollah Khamanei’s son Mojtaba Khamenei.
According to reports, Iran has denied being in talks with the U.S., but admitted that some countries in the region were making efforts to reduce tensions.
Axios news website quoted a U.S. source as saying that Turkiye, Egypt, and Pakistan have been passing messages between the U.S. and Iran over the past two days.
The Foreign Ministers of the three countries held separate talks with White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the U.S. source told Axios.
The President said Steve Witkoff, the U.S. Special Envoy for West Asia, and Jared Kushner spoke with their Iranian counterparts on Sunday (March 22, 2026).
However, Mr. Trump declined to say to whom Mr. Witkoff was speaking, saying he did not want them to be killed.
Published – March 24, 2026 09:45 am IST
