New Delhi

Congress leader Pawan Khera on Wednesday criticised External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, branding him a “forum minister” in response to fresh claims by US President Donald Trump that trade pressure was used to push India into halting Operation Sindoor.

Sharing a clip from Trump’s recent interview, Khera alleged that Jaishankar’s extensive foreign engagements have yielded no tangible diplomatic gains, despite significant public expenditure.

“Once again, we will see the ‘Forum Minister’ S Jaishankar speaking from a global platform. Taxpayers are funding these expensive trips, yet there is nothing to show for it. In his latest interview, Trump has again claimed that he used trade and tariffs to pressure Prime Minister Modi to stop Operation Sindoor. India has also been arm-twisted into reducing purchases of Russian oil,” Khera said in a post on X.

The Congress leader further alleged that India is falling behind Pakistan in shaping international narratives. He pointed to what he claimed was the removal of a map depicting the entire Jammu and Kashmir region, including Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), as part of India from the US Trade Representative Office’s website.

“We are repeatedly losing the narrative battle. If even official US platforms are altering maps of India, what exactly is the external affairs minister doing?” Khera asked.

Trump has repeatedly asserted that he played a decisive role in defusing tensions between India and Pakistan following Operation Sindoor in May 2025, claiming that trade measures and tariff threats were used as leverage.

“I settled eight wars, and at least six were settled using tariffs. I told them, if you don’t stop, you’ll face tariffs. India and Pakistan were heading towards what I believe could have been a nuclear conflict,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News.

India has firmly rejected these claims, maintaining that the ceasefire understanding with Pakistan was reached bilaterally through communication between the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs), without any third-party mediation.

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New Delhi has also reiterated its long-standing position that all outstanding issues with Pakistan, including Jammu and Kashmir, must be addressed strictly through bilateral dialogue.