‘Pakistan’s rise exposes India’s diplomatic failure’: Rahul targets ‘dapper‘ Jaishankar

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday mounted a scathing attack on the Centre over reports of Pakistan being considered a mediator in efforts to end the West Asia conflict, calling it a “most damning indictment” of India’s foreign policy.

In a strongly worded social media post, Gandhi targeted External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, saying, “The dapper and long-experienced External Affairs Minister is doing his best to cover up India’s extreme embarrassment and the setback to its regional diplomacy from Pakistan’s emergence as a mediator and facilitator of talks to end the current war in West Asia.”

‘Atrocious’ that Pakistan considered mediator

Gandhi described Pakistan’s reported role as unacceptable, stating, “It is truly atrocious that Pakistan is being considered fit for the role.”

He went on to list allegations against Pakistan, saying it is a country whose state has “orchestrated terrorism in India and other countries for over four decades,” “given sanctuary to Osama bin Laden and other dreaded global terrorists for decades,” and “egregiously broken nuclear non-proliferation laws… The role of the AQ Khan network has been well documented.”

He also accused Pakistan of having “mercilessly bombed hospitals and civilian facilities in Afghanistan and waged war against its own citizens and religious minorities.”

Direct attack on PM Modi’s diplomacy

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said, “That Pakistan can even be so considered for a mediating role is a most damning indictment of both the substance and style of Prime Minister Modi’s diplomacy, which has been full of bombast and marked by cowardice.”

Drawing a comparison with the UPA era under Manmohan Singh, he said India had successfully isolated Pakistan globally after the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

“In contrast… we have been unable to isolate Pakistan on the international stage. In fact, it has only emerged as a more relevant actor,” he said.

Gandhi also referred to the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack and Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir, alleging that Pakistan had gained diplomatic traction and influence, including with US leadership under Donald Trump.

‘Broken country made broker country’

Responding to Jaishankar’s remark that India is not a “broker country”, Gandhi said, “Be that as it may, the fact remains that the colossal failures in our diplomacy, outreach, and narrative management have made a broken country a broker country.”

He added, “That is the self-styled Vishwaguru’s singular contribution to our diplomatic record — which no amount of one-liners from the EAM can erase.”

There was no immediate response from the government to the remarks.

The comments come amid intensifying political exchanges over India’s foreign policy amid shifting geopolitical alignments linked to the West Asia conflict.