New Delhi, Feb 28, 2026 — The Congress on Saturday criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi after US President Donald Trump voiced emphatic support for Pakistan amid its conflict with Afghanistan, saying the development underscores a failure of India’s foreign policy outreach and exposes the prime minister’s “self-declared Vishwaguru.”
Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary in charge of communications, said on X that Trump’s unabashed backing for Pakistan represented yet another blow to what he called India’s “huglomacy.” Ramesh also pointed out that Trump had again praised an individual whose inflammatory comments were cited as context for the Pahalgam attacks on April 22, 2025 — an apparent reference to Pakistan Army Chief Gen Asim Munir — attacks that Indian agencies say were orchestrated from across the border.
Ramesh argued that economic diplomacy with Washington has fared poorly, describing a recently announced trade understanding as lopsided: India gave concrete assurances, notably on purchasing more from US farmers, while US commitments to expand Indian exports remained vague. He noted that days after the pact, the United States slapped a 125.87 percent duty on solar-module imports from India.
“Our strategic diplomacy has taken repeated hits from President Trump, who keeps cozying up to Pakistan’s establishment and reverting to treating India and Pakistan as a linked issue,” Ramesh said, adding that while the prime minister may win awards, the claim of global leadership has been exposed and the world — particularly the US — now knows his limits.
Trump, asked about rising tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, said he “gets along” with Pakistan very well and praised its leaders, adding he would consider intervening to stop the fighting but emphasized his personal rapport with Pakistan’s top officials.
