Dr S Jaishankar (File photo)
NEW DELHI: External affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar on Saturday took a sharp swipe at Washington and Islamabad, saying both countries had a habit of “overlooking history.”Speaking at Economic Times World Leaders Forum, the foreign minister cited the 2011 US raid in Abbottabad that killed Osama bin Laden. He reminded that it was the same Pakistani military that had sheltered the 9/11 attacker.”They have a history with each other, and they have a history of overlooking their history. It is the same military that went into Abbottabad (in Pakistan) and found who there?” Dr Jaishankar asked. The EAM also reiterated that US didn’t mediate between India and Pakistan for the ceasefire after the conflict following India’s Operation Sindoor.”Since 1970s, for more than 50 years now, there’s a national consensus in this country that we do not accept mediation in our relations with Pakistan,” he said.He further explained that calls from the US and other countries were made during Operation Sindoor, but clarified that these were routine diplomatic exchanges, not negotiations. “Every American phone call I had is there on my ‘X’ account,” he said, emphasising that the settlement was the result of direct talks between India and Pakistan, and pushing back against the narrative by opposition and US president Donald Trump that US negotiated the ceasefire. The external affairs minister also used the occasion to attack the opposition, saying that India was also resisting external pressures to protect its national economic interests.“When it comes to trade and the interests of farmers, when it comes to our strategic autonomy, when it comes to opposing mediation, this government is very clear. Our positions are firm,” he said, warning that, “If anybody disagrees with us, please tell the people of India that you are not prepared to defend the interests of farmers. Please tell the people of India that you don’t value strategic autonomy. We do. We will do whatever we have to do to maintain it.”
