Congress blames PM for Pak's new branding: 'Dalal' country hosting Iran talks 2.0

The Congress on Monday launched a fresh attack on the BJP-led central government over Pakistan’s role in the US-Iran peace talks, claiming that Islamabad hosting the second round of negotiations reflects a major diplomatic setback for India. The opposition party said that Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir emerging as a “huge favourite” of US President Donald Trump underscores the need for a complete overhaul of India’s diplomatic engagement strategy.

“The ‘dalal’ country, as the erudite and always nattily dressed External Affairs Minister described it, is reportedly hosting the second round of US-Iran peace talks today," the Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posted on X, also adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “simply incapable” of undertaking such a diplomatic overhaul.

Ramesh’s remarks referred to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s earlier statement that India cannot act as a “dalal nation” – meaning a broker – in global geopolitics, made in response to questions about Pakistan mediating the talks.

Reports have suggested that the US and Iran were preparing for a second round of negotiations, with President Trump expressing optimism about reaching a deal after the first round concluded without a breakthrough. However, there has been no official confirmation from Iran, which has termed Washington “unserious” about the talks.

The Congress leader also pointed out that following the first round of talks on April 12, Pakistan secured USD 6 billion from Saudi Arabia and Qatar to repay a USD 3.5 billion loan from the UAE and retire a USD 1.43 billion Eurobond tranche. Despite its economic challenges, Pakistan is “playing a pivotal diplomatic role”, Ramesh said, while also accusing it of harbouring terrorists and citing past incidents.

Pakistan's economy is clearly in dire straits and it depends on the largesse given to it by friendly countries, but, "it is for now playing a pivotal diplomatic role after having given sanctuary to Osama bin Laden and other terrorists, bombing drug rehabilitation centres in Afghanistan, and most recently orchestrating the Pahalgam terror attack a year ago," the Congress leader added.

He further argued that both the substance and style of Modi’s regional and global engagement have failed to isolate Pakistan, which, he claimed, has managed to rebrand itself diplomatically. Comparing the situation with the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks during the UPA government, Ramesh said India’s current approach has not yielded similar results.

Calling Munir’s growing proximity to Trump a “particularly severe setback” for India, Ramesh alleged that Pakistan had been more effective in managing the Trump ecosystem. He reiterated the demand for a complete overhaul of India’s diplomatic strategy, asserting that the prime minister is “simply incapable” of delivering it.

"That Field Marshal Asim Munir – whose provocative and inflammatory remarks provided the oxygen for the Pahalgam terror attack – has become such a huge favourite of President Trump is a particularly severe setback for India. That the Field Marshal and his colleagues seem to have succeeded in managing the Trump ecosystem of family and associates much better than India is obvious," he wrote on X.

The US and Iran held rare direct talks in Islamabad on April 11-12 aimed at easing tensions, but the discussions ended without an agreement. While Trump has announced another round of talks and said American negotiators would be in Islamabad on Monday, there has been no confirmation from Tehran regarding its participation.

- Ends

Tune In