Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri during a media briefing on October 21, 2024 on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Russia. Photo: X/@MEAIndia via PTI

Why no India-China joint statement on LAC disengagement, Parliament panel asks Foreign Secretary

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri reportedly allays fears of MPs on the Standing Committee on External Affairs regarding possible “grey areas”  in the agreement; MPs question India’s stance on Palestine, arms exports to Israel

by · The Hindu

Members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs grilled Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Friday (October 25, 2024), asking him to explain why there was no joint statement from India and China on the “disengagement” at the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, which was announced by the Indian government earlier this week. The committee is headed by senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor.

At a media briefing on Tuesday (October 22, 2024), Mr. Misri had said that Indian and Chinese diplomatic and military negotiators had arrived at an agreement on “patrolling arrangements” along the LAC, leading to “disengagement” and a “resolution of the issues that had arisen in these areas in 2020.” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh later attributed the agreement to the power of dialogue, and sources have confirmed that disengagement has begun at two remaining friction points on the LAC.

However, the governments of India and China have not issued any joint statement on any such agreement to disengage, leading to the MPs’ queries. According to sources, Mr. Misri responded to the Parliamentary committee’s members by saying that joint statements are not often offered in such situations, but emphasising that the two governments are committed to the agreement. A member, speaking anonymously, said that Mr. Misri had sought to allay the MPs’ fears on possible “grey areas” in the agreement. 

Gaza conflict

Though members were eager to ask questions on China, the panel’s agenda for the day was the Israel-Palestine conflict. Mr. Misri, it is learnt, spoke extensively on the subject, focusing on the implications of the Iran-Israel standoff, especially for the nine million Indians living in West Asia. 

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There were a barrage of questions on the issue. Specifically, members asked Mr. Misri to explain India’s stand on Palestine, especially in view of more than a dozen instances of abstention at the UN on pro-Palestine resolutions. He was also asked to give details about India’s export of arms to Israel. According to sources, one member commented that the arms exports shows India’s indirect contribution towards the bloodshed in Gaza. Mr. Misri reportedly responded by saying that Indian firms have joint venture with defence manufacturers in Israel, and that India only supplies arms components. 

A BJP MP also asked the Foreign Secretary to give comparative details of India’s economic interests in Israel and Palestine. There are 30,000 Indians living in Israel and Mr. Misri informed the panel that, over the last year since the outbreak of the conflict, nearly 9,000 Indian construction workers and 700 agricultural workers have travelled to Israel. 

Indo-Canada tensions

During the two-hour meeting, the members also wanted to ask questions about the current Indo-Canada tensions and more questions on China. It is learnt that the panel’s chairman Mr. Tharoor agreed to hold another meeting where these questions can be addressed. 

“It went well and the question and answer (session) was quite exhaustive, covering all aspects of the ongoing conflict,” Mr. Tharoor said in a post on X at the end of the meeting.

Published - October 25, 2024 09:51 pm IST