Terror, trade in focus as EAM Jaishankar meets Central Asian counterparts
NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday held separate meetings with the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan ahead of the fourth India-Central Asia Dialogue, which is scheduled for Friday.
Kazakh Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu, Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Zheenbek Kulubaev, and Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov all condemned terrorism and supported collaborative efforts to tackle the threat.
In a social media post, Jaishankar expressed appreciation for Nurtleu's 'reaffirmation of zero tolerance for terrorism.' He and Muhriddin agreed on the need to 'firmly counter terrorism in our region.' During his meeting with Kulubaev, Jaishankar thanked Kyrgyzstan for its 'support and solidarity in countering terrorism,' and welcomed Meredov's strong condemnation of all forms of terrorism.
Alongside security issues, Jaishankar and the ministers discussed ways to enhance trade, investment, connectivity, and cooperation in development and energy.
With Nurtleu, Jaishankar reviewed the India-Kazakhstan strategic partnership, including trade and energy ties. 'Also spoke about widening connectivity with the Central Asia region,' the minister said.
Talks with Kulubaev also covered cooperation in banking, education, health, energy, and capacity building. Separate cooperation programmes were signed with the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
Friday's India-Central Asia Dialogue will focus on deepening ties across key areas such as trade, connectivity, technology, and development. The six nations will also exchange views on regional security challenges and broader global issues.
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Time of India
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Last Updated: Gandhi's 2025 outbursts, particularly around Operation Sindoor—India's surgical strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and PoK—reveal a man hell-bent on tarnishing his own nation In the murky swamp of Indian politics, few have perfected the art of national betrayal quite like Rahul Gandhi. The Congress dynasty's eternal heir-apparent, with his sanctimonious smirk and rehearsed outrage, has turned slandering India into a grotesque performance piece. His latest misadventure—implicitly styling himself as the 'Leader of Pakistan" (LoP) rather than the Leader of Opposition—has sparked a firestorm, and rightly so. This isn't just a clever jab from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP); it's a damning verdict backed by Gandhi's own venomous words, spewed both at home and abroad, that consistently undermine India's sovereignty, morale, and global stature. From Washington to London, Singapore to Bahrain, his rhetoric reads like a love letter to Pakistan's propaganda machine. Let's rip apart the tapestry of his anti-India tirades, exposing the rot beneath his self-righteous veneer, and demand: whose side is this man really on? Gandhi's 2025 outbursts, particularly around Operation Sindoor—India's surgical strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and PoK—reveal a man hell-bent on tarnishing his own nation. On May 17, 2025, he took to X, accusing the government of a 'crime" by allegedly tipping off Pakistan before the strikes: 'Jaishankar's silence screams guilt. How many Indian jets were lost because Pakistan was pre-warned? This wasn't a mistake—it was treason." The External Affairs Ministry shredded this lie, clarifying Pakistan was informed post-strike, as per diplomatic norms. Yet Gandhi, undeterred, clung to his narrative, parroting Pakistan's claims and casting doubt on India's military prowess. On May 22, he sneered that PM Modi had 'surrendered India's honour" by pausing military action, questioning why Modi trusted Pakistan's anti-terror assurances. This wasn't opposition; it was a gut-punch to the jawans who neutralised over 100 terrorists. On May 23, Gandhi escalated his assault, declaring India's foreign policy a 'wreck" and whining, 'Why didn't a single country back India against Pakistan after Pahalgam? Why are we hyphenated with Pakistan? Who invited Trump to 'mediate'?" This wasn't just a dig at Jaishankar; it was a deliberate attempt to equate India with a failing state, a narrative India has fought tooth and nail to reject. His Trump jab handed Pakistan's DG ISPR a golden opportunity to mock India's global clout. BJP's Gaurav Bhatia called it 'sinister," accusing Gandhi of sapping the morale of India's forces. And he's not wrong—Gandhi's words don't just sting; they embolden enemies. In April 2025, while pandering to the Indian diaspora in Boston, Gandhi smeared the Election Commission, claiming it was 'bought and sold" and alleging 65 lakh voters were added to Maharashtra's rolls in two hours—a logistical absurdity. 'More adults voted in Maharashtra than exist there," he scoffed, offering zero proof. 'The EC is a puppet now." BJP's Sambit Patra branded this an 'old trick" of defaming India abroad, while the EC itself debunked his claims as baseless. Union minister Ramdas Athawale roared that Gandhi was spitting on India's democratic soul, and he wasn't exaggerating. A Trail of Treachery Abroad Gandhi's 2025 antics are just the latest stains on his sordid record of trashing India overseas. In September 2024, in Herndon, Virginia, he claimed India's elections were 'rigged to the core", alleging a caste divide and questioning whether Sikhs could wear turbans or visit gurdwaras. 'The fight is about whether a Sikh can wear his turban or kada in India," he pontificated, triggering FIRs in Chhattisgarh for stoking religious discord. BJP's Hardeep Singh Puri slammed him for misleading Sikhs abroad, while Shivraj Singh Chouhan accused him of tarnishing India's image. Even Congress's Pawan Khera, scrambling to defend him, could only muster that criticising the BJP isn't criticising India—a weak dodge for a damning act. At Georgetown University in 2024, Gandhi pushed for a caste census, saying, 'Reservations will go when India is fair, and India is nowhere near fair." This painted India as a cesspool of discrimination, conveniently ignoring similar divides in the US. His meeting with Ilhan Omar, a US lawmaker notorious for anti-India resolutions, drew fire from BJP's Sudhanshu Trivedi, who called it a 'dangerous liaison" with India's foes. In 2023, at Cambridge University, Gandhi wailed that Indian democracy was 'under siege," claiming the judiciary, press, and Parliament were gagged. 'The framework of democracy—Parliament, free press, judiciary—is being choked," he said, practically begging for Western intervention by calling India's democracy a 'global public good". BJP's JP Nadda branded this 'treasonous", accusing Gandhi of inviting foreign meddling. In 2022, at London's 'Ideas for India' conference, he likened India to Pakistan, moaning: 'The deep state—CBI, ED—is devouring India, just like Pakistan." BJP's Gaurav Bhatia called it betrayal for equating India with a junta-run state. In 2018, in Hamburg, Germany, Gandhi sneered at India's gender equality, implying women were universally oppressed. In Singapore, he claimed an 'atmosphere of fear" gripped India, accusing the BJP of divisive politics. In 2017, at UC Berkeley, he alleged 'hatred and violence" were engulfing India, blaming the BJP for communal strife. That same year in Bahrain, he decried joblessness, saying, 'Anger is spilling onto the streets." Each time, he painted India as a dystopian failure, ignoring Congress's own checkered past. The Damning Pattern Gandhi's apologists, like Sam Pitroda, insist he's merely critiquing the government. But when Pakistani media celebrates his rants, and when Congress stalwarts like Tharoor and Khera tiptoe away from his recklessness, the truth is undeniable: Gandhi's words arm India's enemies. His 2010 remark to a US ambassador, per WikiLeaks, calling 'Hindutva" a bigger threat than terrorism, set the stage for his anti-India crusade. His 2023 claim that Modi dismissed 70 years of progress was a lie he himself contradicted in London, claiming he never defames India—yet his actions scream otherwise. His 2025 X post alleging Modi brokered a China-Pakistan alliance ignores India's strategic calculus, fuelling anti-India narratives. The nation demands Rahul Gandhi's open letter addressing his compulsions and reasons for not going opting, in fact, evading a delegation addressing and exposing Pakistan's terror factory. Was it the 2008 China MoU that crippled him? Yuvraj Pokharna is an independent journalist and columnist. He tweets with @iyuvrajpokharna. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views. About the Author Yuvraj Pokharna Yuvraj Pokharna is a Surat-based author and media panelist who vociferously voices his opinions on issues of Hindutva, Islamist Jihad, politics, policies, and sometimes mules over books. He can be followed on More tags : Operation Sindoor Pahalgam attack Rahul Gandhi Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: June 07, 2025, 16:16 IST News opinion Write Mind | Rahul Gandhi, The Self-Anointed 'Leader Of Pakistan'
