Govt briefs Tharoor-led panel, conveys India's ties with US extend beyond trade

New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS) Congress MP and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, Shashi Tharoor on Monday said that Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, has made it clear that India's relationship with the United States remains "very important" and extends beyond trade to several other areas where the New Delhi-Washington engagement continues.

Tharoor made the comment after a three-hour committee meeting where the 22 participating members interacted with the Foreign and Commerce Secretary on the latest issues concerning India's Foreign Policy, especially the ongoing US-India trade negotiations and tariffs.

"I think the 22 members asked over 50 questions to the Foreign Secretary and the Commerce Secretary... Our Foreign Secretary mentioned that ties with America are quite important and trade is just one aspect. Several other issues are being discussed between both countries at the same time. It was explained to us in detail and whatever clarifications the members required were given," Tharoor told the waiting reporters after the meeting.

Tharoor also slammed Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir for making controversial remarks on India during his trip to the United States over the weekend.

"The question of General Munir's statement on American soil has been brought up, concern was expressed about the misuse of a friendly country's soil to say something about us in this manner. At the same time, nuclear sabre-rattling is something the Pakistanis like to do, has been dismissed by the MEA in a statement that was issued just as our meeting was beginning. We will echo that statement, as the committee shares the same view that we are not going to allow this kind of nonsense to influence our thinking. Nuclear blackmail will not work with India, and no party and no representative of any party disagrees with that principle."

During his US visit, Munir had warned that Pakistan will never allow India to choke the Indus River and will defend its water rights at all costs even if the forces will have to destroy any dam that India sought to build on it.

"We will wait for India to build a dam, and when they do so, we will destroy it ... The Indus River is not the Indians' family property. We have no shortage of resources to undo the Indian designs to stop the river," Munir was quoted as saying by leading Pakistani daily Dawn at an event organised by members of the Pakistani-American community in Tampa, Florida.

Earlier in the day, India, which has already made it clear that it will not give in to nuclear blackmail, reacted strongly to the comments made by Munir.

"Our attention has been drawn to remarks reportedly made by the Pakistani Chief of Army Staff while on a visit to the United States. Nuclear sabre-rattling is Pakistan’s stock-in-trade. The international community can draw its own conclusions on the irresponsibility inherent in such remarks, which also reinforce the well-held doubts about the integrity of nuclear command and control in a state where the military is hand-in-glove with terrorist groups," read a statement issued by Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday.

Munir, the Pakistani media reported on Monday, visited two US cities over the weekend and flew to Belgium on Sunday after completing his second high-profile trip to the United States in less than two months.

"It is also regrettable that these remarks should have been made from the soil of a friendly third country. India has already made it clear that it will not give in to nuclear blackmail. We will continue to take all steps necessary to safeguard our national security," the MEA statement mentioned.

--IANS

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