'Only Pakistan can play such games in coordination with the United States'; Shashi Tharoor mocks Pak PM

NEW DELHI: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor mocked Pakistan hosting talks aimed at resolving the conflict in West Asia. His reaction came after representatives from the United States and Iran arrived in Pakistan for discussions. Speaking to the media in New Delhi, Tharoor took a dig at a post shared by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on X. The post had become widely discussed after it appeared with the title, “Draft - Pakistan’s PM Message on X.”

“It is being said that the Pakistani Prime Minister’s tweet was written by someone sitting in Washington. If we were writing something for our Prime Minister, would we label it ‘Draft for PM’ on top? Only Pakistan can play such games in coordination with the United States,” Tharoor said.

Tharoor said India should not be worried about the development.

“We don’t need to be concerned about this. Pakistan’s interests in this issue are completely different from ours. There is no competition between us. What matters is that the conflict must end. This war has affected India significantly,” he said.

He also pointed out Pakistan’s geographical position.

“Pakistan shares a 900-kilometre border with Iran. If the conflict escalates, the refugee flow will first impact Pakistan.”

On India’s diplomatic approach, Tharoor said: “In diplomacy, sometimes silence itself is very important. We must carefully think about how India should engage. I do not agree that Pakistan acting as a mediator is a failure of India’s foreign policy. India is a responsible country. We should not remain completely inactive. That kind of vacuum can be dangerous and may harm us in many ways.”