Jaishankar described Pakistan’s role as that of a dalaal or broker, a job beneath India’s stature.   

India’s External Affairs Minister, S.Jaishankar, told an all-party meeting on the Iran-US war earlier this week that India is not a “broker” (dalaal) to do the kind of work that Pakistan is doing to get Iran and the US to the negotiating table. 

“India is not a dalaal nation like Pakistan’, Jaishankar said, countering the Opposition’s charge that India has been doing nothing to bring the war to an end using its links with both the US and Iran. India had yielded space to Pakistan, a country with less diplomatic capabilities than India.  

Pakistan has emerged as a potential host for negotiations between the US and Iran, with US President Donald Trump seeming to endorse Islamabad’s role. Opposition members pointed out that India has never been as isolated in the world as it is now.  Congress leader Tariq Anwar criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, saying that Pakistan appeared to be playing mediator while “we are still mute spectators.” He called for a full debate in parliament.  

But Jaishankar said that there is “nothing new” about Pakistan’s role, as that country has been “used” by the US since 1981. Islamabad is not a genuine mediator but is only an agent of the US to carry its messages to Tehran and vice versa.   

Denying that India has been sitting on the sidelines, Jaishankar said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had conveyed to US President Donald Trump that the war must end soon, stressing that the ongoing conflict is hurting all sides. He also dismissed Opposition claims that New Delhi had been silent on the crisis and said it has been “commenting and responding.” 

Jaishankar held that the government has been following due protocol. When the Iranian embassy was opened, the Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri, visited it immediately and signed the condolence book, countering allegations of a delayed and weak response........

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