New Delhi, Jan 19 (IANS) US President Donald Trump has invited India to join a proposed ‘Board of Peace’ initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts, beginning with the ongoing Gaza crisis. Pakistan has also reportedly been invited to participate, a move that has drawn sharp reactions from Opposition leaders in India, who on Monday questioned the wisdom of joining any such initiative if Pakistan is involved.

Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly, Tika Ram Jully, criticised the Centre’s foreign policy and questioned the role of the Ministry of External Affairs.

Speaking to IANS, Tika Ram Jully said, “Can you see our Ministry of External Affairs anywhere? Can you see our foreign policy at work? Look at the situation our country is in today. Those who spoke of becoming a ‘Vishwaguru’ — after Operation Sindoor, three countries came out in support of Pakistan, while not a single country stood with us.”

Jully also expressed concern over what he described as repeated disrespect towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the United States.

“Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister of the country where Mahatma Gandhi was born, and the whole nation knows about him. The way the US insults the Prime Minister and hurts his honour saddens me. He may belong to the BJP, but he is the Prime Minister of India. The US keeps saying anything, yet no BJP leader speaks against it. Trump has claimed more than 60 times that he stopped something and has also imposed tariffs many times,” Jully told IANS.

Samajwadi Party spokesperson Abbas Haider also raised serious questions about India’s participation in a peace committee that includes Pakistan.

“The first question is whether India should be part of a peace committee where Pakistan is also present. Certainly, there has been conflict between India and Pakistan, and Islamabad has carried out several attacks against our country. In such a situation, if Pakistan is taking part, then it is a matter of serious consideration,” he said. Haider also added that India should stand on the side of justice and support Gaza and Palestine.

BJP spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo said India has consistently advocated peace in Gaza.

“India wants peace in Gaza. Earlier, several initiatives were taken by the Prime Minister and the Ministry of External Affairs, including statements calling for dialogue. I do not want to comment directly on President Trump’s invitation. However, if Pakistan is being invited, it would be like inviting the ‘Devil’. I do not think Pakistan should be invited, but India certainly wants peace in the Gaza Strip,” he said.

US President Trump has sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that was shared on social media by the US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor.

The president said it was his great honour to invite the prime minister to join him in a “critically historic and magnificent effort to solidify peace” in the Middle East and, at the same time, to embark on a “bold new approach to resolving global conflict”.

It remains unclear whether India will join the initiative, as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has not yet released an official statement on the matter.

The invitation to India comes as ties between New Delhi and Washington are under strain due to the failure to secure a trade deal that would lower tariffs on India’s exports to the US, which is facing a levy of 50 per cent currently, among the highest in the world.

–IANS

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