By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: India’s External Affairs Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, faced heavy criticism from Pakistani politicians on Thursday after issuing sharply worded remarks about Pakistan’s role in mediating the ongoing US-Israel war against Iran.
Speaking at an all-party meeting convened to discuss the West Asia crisis, Jaishankar dismissed Pakistan’s efforts as a mediator, saying India did not view itself as a “dalaal” (broker). “There is nothing new in Pakistan’s mediation efforts, as that country has been ‘used’ by the US since 1981,” he reportedly said, according to The News.
The comments came days after reports suggested Pakistan was positioning itself as a key intermediary, facilitating back-channel communications between Tehran and Washington. Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir recently held a telephonic conversation with US President Donald Trump, confirmed by the White House, while senior Pakistani officials are said to be coordinating with key US interlocutors, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Islamabad is reportedly under consideration as a venue for a high-level US-Iran meeting later this week, potentially attended by Vice President JD Vance. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif called Jaishankar’s remarks “reflective of personal frustration,” adding that the Indian minister appeared to see himself as “a hi-fi dalal.”
Murtaza Solangi, spokesperson for former President Asif Ali Zardari, condemned the statements as evidence of Modi’s “Dalal, Jaishankar and his cabal” losing credibility, describing Jaishankar as “infected with a self-destructive virus and diplomatic dementia.” Former caretaker foreign minister Jalil Abbas Jilani said the language reflected a “sick mindset,” warning that reducing diplomacy to name-calling served domestic politics but did little for peace.
