Pakistan mediating US-Iran ceasefire ‘severe setback’ for Modi’s diplomacy, says Congress

Pakistan facilitating the ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran was a “severe setback” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “highly personalised” style of diplomacy, said the Congress on Wednesday.

Modi’s “self-styled vishwaguru [world leader]” image had been “thoroughly exposed”, with his “self-declared 56-inch chest shrunk and shrivelled”, wrote Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on social media.

The Rajya Sabha MP’s criticism of the prime minister came hours after US President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire in West Asia in exchange for Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

In a social media post, Trump said that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistani military chief Asim Munir had requested him to “hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran”.

Sharif also invited the US and Iranian delegations to Islamabad on Friday “to further negotiate for a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes”.

Soon after, Ramesh wrote on social media that “a bankrupt economy” like Pakistan being able to play a crucial role in the ceasefire talks “calls into question Mr Modi’s strategy of engagement and narrative management”.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday welcomed the ceasefire, adding that it hopes the agreement will bring lasting peace in West Asia.

“The conflict has already caused immense suffering to people and disrupted global energy supply and trade networks,” ministry...

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