India Seeks Peaceful Resolution in West Asia as Government Meets Opposition Parties

A day after US President Donald Trump called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed the situation in West Asia, the government Wednesday informed leaders of political parties that Modi made it clear to Trump that India “wants to see the war coming to an end” as it is “affecting everyone.” When the Opposition leaders inquired if Pakistan’s role as a mediator between the US and Iran was a setback for India, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was quoted as having said that this was not new as Pakistan had been playing that role since 1981.He was also quoted having said that India cannot be “a dalal nation” running after countries and asking if its services were needed. Jaishankar, according to some present at the meeting, also pointed out that if this was seen as a failure of India’s foreign policy now, it was a failure earlier as well. The government also assured the Opposition that India had adequate stock of oil and gas and that there was no need for panic. With the war in West Asia and the government’s response on various developments, including the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the sinking of an Iranian ship in the Indian Ocean, dividing the political class, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the all-party meeting in an attempt to forge a broad domestic political consensus on the matter. But the Opposition appeared unsatisfied with the government’s outreach with the Congress demanding a discussion in both the Houses of Parliament on the volatile situation and the government’s foreign policy approach. Apart from Singh, the meeting was attended by seven ministers including Jaishankar, Home Minister Amit Shah , Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Health Minister J P Nadda and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. At the outset, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri made a presentation on the developments in West Asia and the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz. Asked about the conversation Modi had with Trump, Jaishankar told the meeting that Modi conveyed to Trump “we want to see the war coming to an end as it is affecting everyone.”