Govt must take resolute diplomatic actions to de-hyphenate India, Pakistan on global stage: Cong
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Thursday said Pakistan being named vice chair of the 15-member UN Security Council's counterterrorism committee and chair of another panel of the world body was most unfortunate, ill-informed and unacceptable.
In a statement, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge urged the government to take resolute diplomatic actions to de-hyphenate India and Pakistan on the global stage, and exhorted the international community to understand and support New Delhi's stand on terrorism emanating from Pakistan.
The party also described the development as the sad story of "our own foreign policy collapse" but questioned how the global community can continue to legitimise Pakistan's sponsorship of terrorism.
Kharge asserted that making Pakistan accountable for its sins is a necessity not just for India but for the interests of the international community.
"The Indian National Congress exhorts the international community to understand and support India's stand on terrorism emanating from Pakistan," he said.
Kharge's remarks came after the development that Pakistan will chair the Taliban Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council for 2025 and will be vice-chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the UN body.
"Pakistan is the perpetrator of terror. India is a victim of terror. They cannot be equated. They should not be hyphenated," Kharge said in a post on X.
The IMF, the ADB, and the World Bank sanctioning or deciding to sanction loans and bailout packages shall only increase Pakistan's military expenditure, which its rogue Army uses to unleash terror on Indians, he said.
"The naming of Pakistan as the vice-chair of the 15-member United Nations Security Council's Counter Terrorism Committee and chair the Taliban Sanctions Committee for 2025 is most unfortunate, ill-informed and unacceptable," Kharge said.
The international community must see merit in India's case that Pakistan should be included back in the FATF grey list for monitoring of its terror financing, he asserted.
Kharge pointed out that Pakistan was first included in the grey list after India's diplomatic efforts, under then prime minister Manmohan Singh in 2008 and again in 2012.
It has been in the Grey List three times, the last being in 2018, he noted.
"Making Pakistan accountable for its sins is a necessity not just for India, but for the interests of the international community. It is perhaps worth to remind that the most wanted terrorist - Osama Bin Laden, responsible for 9/11, was found and eliminated in Pakistan. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM), the chief planner of 9/11, was also a Pakistani," Kharge said.
"As a responsible Opposition party, we would urge our government to take appropriate and resolute diplomatic actions to de-hyphenate India and Pakistan on the global stage," he said.
Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said the IMF gave USD 1 billion to Pakistan on May 9 during Operation Sindoor.
"World Bank decides to give USD 40 billion to Pakistan soon after Operation Sindoor. ADB gave USD 800 million to Pakistan on June 3, soon after Operation Sindoor," he said on X.
And on June 4, Pakistan gets elected as chairman of the UNSC Taliban Sanctions Committee and vice chairman of the UNSC Counter Terrorism Committee, he pointed out.
"Of course, this is the sad story of our own foreign policy collapse, but how can the global community allow this continuous legitimisation of sponsorship of terrorism by Pakistan?" Khera said.
Pakistan will chair the 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee that imposes an assets freeze, a travel ban and an arms embargo on individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with the Taliban in constituting a threat to the peace, stability and security of Afghanistan. Guyana and Russia will be vice-chairs of the Taliban sanctions committee.
Pakistan will also be co-chair of the Informal Working Groups on Documentation and Other Procedural Questions and on the General UNSC Sanctions Issues.
Pakistan is a non-permanent member of the 15-nation Security Council for the 2025-26 term.
The sanctions committees of the Council comprise all 15 members of the Security Council and make their decisions by consensus.
India was chair of the UNSC Counter-terrorism Committee for 2022 during its 2021-22 tenure in the council as a non-permanent member.
India has consistently reminded the international community that Pakistan is host to the world's largest number of UN-proscribed terrorists and entities.
Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan's Abbottabad for years and was killed in an operation by the US Navy Seals in May 2011.
China, France, Russia, the UK and the US are the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, while Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Somalia are currently in the council as non-permanent members.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
