Jaishankar: US, Pak Ignore Past Amid Tariffs

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar took a dig at US-Pakistan relations, saying that both have a history with each other and a history of

overlooking that history. Speaking at The Economic Times World Leaders’ Forum 2025, EAM Jaishankar, when asked whether he was surprised by the recent coziness in US-Pakistan relations, said, "They have a history with each other, and they have a history of overlooking their history... It is the same military that went into Abbottabad (in Pakistan) and found who there...?” Adding further to this, Jaishankar said, “So what happens is, it's not the first time we have seen things… The issue, in a way, is when countries are very focused on doing politics of convenience, they keep trying to do this and some of it can be tactical or other benefits of calculations."

"Obviously, I respond to the situation or the challenge of the day, but I also do so always keeping in mind the larger structural sort of strength of the relationship that comes from it. I know finally what I’m about, I know what are my strengths and the relevance of my relationship, so that's what guides me," the External Affairs Minister said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j395fSC_sms

Don't buy it, if you don't like it: Jaishankar's clear advice to the US Responding to questions on Donald Trump's tariffs and the United States' view that India was running a profiteering scheme by purchasing Russian oil and selling it to other nations, Jaishankar had a simple piece of advice for America, “Don't buy it, if you don't like it." He called Trump’s tariffs "unjustified and unreasonable," adding that India's priority was to protect farmers and small producers, stressing that New Delhi would not compromise on their interests. "What we are concerned about is that red lines are primarily the interest of our farmers and, to some extent, our small producers. So when people pronounce that we have succeeded or failed, we as a government are committed to defending the interests of our farmers and small producers. We are determined on that. That's not something we can compromise," Jaishankar asserted.

Jaishankar also argued that the tariff issue was being wrongly presented as an "oil dispute" and highlighted that the United States was not imposing penalties on China, despite it being the largest buyer of Russian oil.

"The second issue is that this is being presented as an oil issue. But why I say 'being presented' is because the same arguments that have been used to target India have not been applied to the largest oil importer, which is China, and have not been applied to the largest LNG importer, which is the European nations," he said.

With inputs from ANI