The Congress on Monday criticised the Modi government's foreign policy approach, alleging that Pakistan has regained regional and global influence while China's growing presence in Islamabad's strategic framework poses a serious geopolitical challenge for India. The Opposition party also urged the government to adopt a more balanced stance on Israel, saying India's national interest requires greater diplomatic equilibrium.
Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, welcomed reports that the United States and Iran are expected to sign a peace agreement in Geneva on June 19 to end hostilities in West Asia.
"The news that the US and Iran will be signing an agreement on June 19 in Geneva to halt hostilities in West Asia is to be welcomed, even though the full details are yet to be made public officially," Ramesh said on X.
"There is universal hope that the two countries (as also Israel) will abide by the accord -- even though it is of an interim nature -- and that the accord will lead to a more permanent normalisation," he added.
Ramesh said the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz would provide relief to India but cautioned against assuming that the country's deeper economic challenges would disappear.
"While the unrestricted re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz will certainly bring great relief to India, it does not mean the structural problems the economy faces will soon be surmounted," he said.
Highlighting economic concerns, Ramesh argued that many of India's challenges existed before the recent conflict in West Asia.
"These concerns clearly predate the current war in West Asia that began just two days after Prime Minister Modi's visit to Israel. The rupee had been under considerable pressure for over a year and the gap between the demand and supply of dollars had been growing. Rates of private investment -- a most crucial determinant of GDP growth -- have been tepid for many years," Ramesh said.
"This is the result of sluggish growth in demand that, in turn, is the outcome of stagnation in real wages over the past decade; Modi Government's failure to check the dumping of imports from China that has resulted in a record trade deficit and endangered growth of job-generating MSMEs in particular; overall investment climate vitiated by unchecked powers given to tax authorities and investigative agencies," he said.
The Congress leader also claimed that Pakistan's diplomatic standing has improved despite India's efforts to isolate it after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
"Pakistan, which had been successfully isolated by India after its orchestration of the terror attacks in Mumbai in November 2008, now seems to have acquired a new regional and global influence," Ramesh said.
"This, coupled with China's deep embedding in Pakistan's strategic apparatus, poses a formidable geo-political challenge for India's foreign policy," he added.
Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's position on Israel, Ramesh said India's interests required a more nuanced approach.
"It is too much to expect Mr. Modi to rethink his blind devotion and unconditional support to Israel. But humanitarian considerations and long-standing commitments apart, our national interest demands greater balance than Mr. Modi has shown," he said.
Ramesh's remarks came after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that a peace deal between the US and Iran had been reached and would be formally signed in Switzerland on June 19.
In a post on X, Sharif said, "Following intensive talks, we are pleased to announce that the Peace Deal between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran has been REACHED."
He added that both sides had declared the "immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon."
Sharif said the official signing ceremony would take place in Switzerland on June 19. He also thanked both countries for pursuing diplomacy and expressed appreciation for "our brothers in this mediation effort, the great leadership of the State of Qatar", for helping secure the agreement.
The conflict began after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, leading to the deaths of several top Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander Mohammad Pakpour and Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, among others.
Khamenei's son, Mojtaba, subsequently assumed the role of supreme leader but has not appeared in public since the war began.