I don’t see any competition with Pak: Tharoor dismisses Oppn’s concerns on West Asia, backs India’s policy

New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday defended India’s approach to the ongoing West Asia conflict, stating that New Delhi is playing a “very good” role by actively engaging with regional leaders, while rejecting the Opposition’s allegations that Pakistan’s emerging role as a mediator reflects poorly on India’s foreign policy.

His remarks came as delegations from the US and Iran reached Islamabad for negotiations aimed at addressing the escalating tensions in West Asia.

Speaking to reporters after attending the National History Conference in New Delhi, Tharoor said Pakistan’s involvement stems from its own strategic compulsions, which differ significantly from India’s interests.

“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.

Emphasising that the larger objective should be peace, Tharoor noted that India stands to benefit from stability in the region regardless of who facilitates it.

“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.

Highlighting India’s diplomatic engagement, he added, “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.”

He further underlined India’s broader role in global diplomacy, stating, “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.”

As a leading voice of the Global South, the Congress leader said that India is a “responsible stakeholder in the process of constructing a viable regional and global order”.

“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.”

Tharoor also pointed to the government’s ongoing diplomatic efforts, saying, “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.”

Tharoor also referred to a social media post by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, where he appealed for a two-week extension to allow diplomacy in the West Asia conflict. Shortly after it was published, users circulated screenshots of the post’s edit history showing it initially carried the line: “Draft – Pakistan’s PM Message on X.”

Taking a swipe at Pakistan, he remarked, “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.

Meanwhile, Tharoor’s own party, the Indian National Congress, has described Pakistan’s mediation efforts as a “serious setback” to India’s foreign policy.

The Opposition has argued that personalised diplomacy has not delivered the intended outcomes and has instead allowed Pakistan to regain diplomatic space, potentially undermining India’s long-standing efforts to isolate Islamabad on the global stage.

IANS