Pawan Khera (PTI Photo)
NEW DELHI: India’s Congress on Friday came down heavily on External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, accusing him of failing to safeguard India’s diplomatic interests after the United States removed India’s map.After Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesperson alleged that the US had deleted an Indian map depicting the entire Jammu and Kashmir region, including Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), as part of India, Congress leader Pawan Khera questioned the government’s silence.
Elaborating on his criticism, Khera wrote: “Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson claimed that the US had deleted an Indian map depicting the entire Jammu and Kashmir region, including Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), as part of India. But we haven’t heard anything from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about this. “Addressing Jaishankar directly, he added: “I’ve asked this question before and I’ll ask it again: What exactly does a ‘Forum Minister’ do? Is his job limited to speaking at international forums, or does it also include doing some substantive work for the benefit of India?”In an earlier post, Keira also criticized the minister’s external activities, saying: “Once again we will see a ‘Forum Minister’ speaking from a pulpit in some new forum in the world. Taxpayers are footing the bill for his lavish travels while he has a giant zero to show for his efforts.”Listing out his concerns further, he wrote: “In a recent interview, Trump once again claimed that he was using trade and tariffs to bully Modi into stopping Operation Sindoor. India has been bullied into stopping buying Russian oil. We continue to lose the narrative war against Pakistan – the U.S. Trade Representative’s office removed a map showing the entire Jammu and Kashmir (including Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) as part of India. What is Jaishankar doing? What on earth is he doing?”The controversy stems from a map released by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) while announcing the framework of an interim trade agreement between India and the United States.
Screenshot of the map shared by the Office of the United States Trade Representative
The map shows that the entire Jammu and Kashmir region, including Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, is part of India. It also depicts Aksai Chin in India.Some analysts believe the release of the map differs significantly from previous U.S. descriptions, which often labeled the areas as disputed. However, opposition leaders questioned the Centre’s response after Pakistan claimed the map was later deleted.India has always maintained that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country and does not require external confirmation of its sovereignty.
