Tharoor rejects Oppn claims on West Asia, says no ‘competition’ with Pakistan

New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday defended India’s diplomatic handling of the ongoing West Asia conflict, asserting that New Delhi is playing a constructive role through sustained engagement with regional leaders. He also rejected criticism from the Opposition that Pakistan’s emerging role in mediation reflects poorly on India’s foreign policy.

His remarks came amid reports that delegations from the United States and Iran had reached Islamabad for talks aimed at easing escalating tensions in the region.

No competition with Pakistan

Speaking after attending a conference in New Delhi, Tharoor said Pakistan’s involvement was driven by its own geopolitical compulsions rather than any comparative diplomatic positioning with India.

"Pakistan has skin in the game. It shares a 900 km-long-border with Iran and also has a significant Shia population. If the conflict escalates, all the refugees will come to Pakistan. Pakistan's stake is different in this game from ours. I don't see any competition with Pakistan when it comes to this," he said.

India prioritises peace, stability

Tharoor stressed that India’s primary interest lies in restoring peace in the region, noting the direct impact of the conflict on the country’s economy and citizens abroad.

"Peace should prevail, and everyone wants that. This war has severely affected India... We want a peace resolution to be reached. We all know how the energy supply is disrupted. Over one crore Indians are also stranded in Gulf nations amid this war... In view of all this, the end to this war is in India's favour, no matter who mediates, be it Pakistan or someone else," he said.

Active diplomatic engagement

Highlighting ongoing efforts by the government, he said India remains in close contact with key stakeholders in the region.

"India's interest is very much in terms of peace. We should monitor the situation closely. Our Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister and Petroleum Minister are all in touch with the leaders of that region, and we should remain in constant touch... We should absolutely hope that peace comes as a result of these efforts.

"It does not matter who brings about the peace. If peace comes, it does not matter who brought about it; however, if peace fails to come, we should analyse if there is anything we can do to contribute to a different outcome in future."

‘Responsible stakeholder’ in global order

Tharoor underlined India’s broader diplomatic role, describing it as an important voice representing the Global South and a key contributor to regional stability.

"This is because India has such a fundamental interest both in peace and in ensuring that the overall order in our region does not break down. A vacuum is dangerous, and it hurts us in other ways also."

He added that India must remain actively engaged, though its interventions should be carefully calibrated.

"We cannot be passive... We will have to play an active role, but it would have to be a carefully considered role, one where we examine for ourselves what is the most useful contribution we can make. Sometimes, that useful contribution may truly be in silence."

Swipe at Pakistan over ‘draft’ post

Taking a dig at Shehbaz Sharif, Tharoor referred to a social media post in which Pakistan’s prime minister had sought a two-week window for diplomatic efforts, but which briefly appeared online marked as a draft.

"But today, we are understandably more active in the region. I think three of our ministers are in the region, and the Prime Minister is on the phone; all of this is very good because the engagement is what keeps us viable and potentially able to play a larger role that we are not able to play today."

"I do feel that Washington gave the message to Pakistan's PM to post it on X, or why would someone write 'Draft, Pakistan's PM message'?"

"The language and some phrases used in that message also pointed out the US involvement. Only Pakistan can do this," he said sarcastically.

Congress differs on Pakistan’s role

Despite Tharoor’s remarks, his party, the Indian National Congress, has described Pakistan’s mediation attempts as a setback for India’s foreign policy.

Opposition leaders have argued that personalised diplomacy has failed to yield results and may have allowed Pakistan to regain diplomatic relevance, potentially weakening India’s longstanding efforts to isolate Islamabad internationally. (IANS)