2009 Indo-Pak meet was lowest point in India's foreign policy: BJP foreign affairs head

Time of India

2 days ago

Nagpur: Vijay Chauthaiwale, in-charge of BJP's foreign affairs department, described the 2009 Indo-Pak bilateral meeting in Egypt as the lowest point in India's foreign policy.
Speaking at an event organized by the Late Prakash Rajurkar Memorial Trust in Nagpur, Chauthaiwale said the joint statement issued after the meeting between then PM Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani undermined India's anti-terrorism stance.
Quoting from the statement, he said it allowed dialogue to continue despite Pakistan's alleged involvement in terrorism, effectively bracketing terrorism with talks.
"That meeting was a diplomatic concession to Pakistan at a time when it didn't deserve one," he said.
Chauthaiwale, who hails from Nagpur, outlined how India's foreign policy under PM Narendra Modi had evolved from that time. He emphasised the growing importance of the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEEC), calling it a potential gamechanger. "This is the only trade route where the US, Russia, France, and Israel collaborate for defence and trade," he said.
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Explaining the route, he noted that goods would move from India to the Gulf by sea, from the Gulf to Europe by road, and from Europe to the US by sea, enhancing India's strategic positioning.
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hauthaiwale said foreign policy today is no longer about traditional alliances, but about real-time pragmatism. "Even within the EU, countries don't agree on a common stance. The UN has become powerless and confused," he said.
Discussing Operation Sindoor, he lauded the Modi govt's ability to conduct a strategic retaliation without a single bullet being fired. "There was no infantry involved — only air power, missile precision, and drone defence — all developed indigenously," he said. He credited the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision for enabling these advancements. Following the Pahalgam attack, India undertook diplomatic outreach through 27 calls by external affairs minister S Jaishankar, 20 by PM Modi, and over 30 letters to international leaders.
The message was clear: India will strike back at terror bases, but the war is not against the people of Pakistan.
Chauthaiwale also highlighted a new experiment in diplomacy — seven multi-party delegations visited over 35 countries to reinforce unity on terrorism. "Modi's foreign policy is based on pragmatism, realism, and humanism. It is not rigid but always aligned with India's enlightened self-interest," he concluded.
'No budging from principles despite US tariffs'
Commenting on the tariffs levied by US President Donald Trump on Indian goods, Vijay Chauthaiwale said India will not budge from the country's core principles, despite what the US does. However, he added that this did not cause any damage to the India-US relations. "Trade is only a small part of our relationship, not a deciding factor. Also, we are still in talks with the US diplomats, so there is still hope," he said. He also said the day when President Trump announced the tariffs, on the same day, Isro and Nasa jointly launched a $1.5 billion satellite.
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