Jaishankar faces tough questions from MPs over India’s West Asia policy, perception of being in ‘Israel’s corner'

The parliamentary consultative committee for external affairs held a closed-door meeting on Monday, focusing on India's West Asia policy, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar as the chair. The meeting was attended by several MPs, including Pabitra Margherita, Vikram Misri, and Sripriya Ranganathan. The MPs questioned India's response to the military strikes by the US and Israel on Iran in February, which resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and sparked a war.

They criticized the perception that India was seen as being in "Israel's corner" and expressed concern over the government's silence on the killing of Khamenei, as it refrained from formally condemning the act. The MPs also raised questions about India's role in the conflicts across West Asia since the terror attacks by Hamas in October 2023 and the government's overall response.

Jaishankar defended the government's approach, emphasizing India's close ties with the Gulf and WANA region, including longstanding partnerships and cooperation in trade, investments, energy, maritime, and people-to-people domains.