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MEA Defends India’s Oil Imports From Russia; Calls US, EU Criticism ‘Unjustified, Unreasonable’

Newsmantra — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 07:38:29 +0000

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has strongly defended the country’s continued import of oil from Russia, dismissing criticism from the United States and the European Union as “unjustified and unreasonable.” Responding to concerns raised over energy trade since the Ukraine conflict, the MEA clarified that India’s oil imports are driven by the need to ensure affordable and stable energy access for its population amid a volatile global market. The ministry noted that traditional suppliers had diverted exports to Europe after the conflict began, and at that time, the U.S. had actively encouraged India to import Russian oil to help stabilize global energy markets.

Highlighting perceived double standards, the MEA pointed out that both the U.S. and EU continue extensive trade with Russia, which includes vital goods like LNG, fertilizers, chemicals, and metals. In 2024, EU trade with Russia in goods reached €67.5 billion, with services adding another €17.2 billion. LNG imports by Europe hit a record 16.5 million tonnes in 2024. Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to import Russian uranium hexafluoride, palladium, and fertilizers. The MEA emphasized that, unlike India’s trade based on national necessity, such Western trade is not a vital compulsion. “In this background, the targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable,” the ministry stated, reaffirming that India will take all necessary steps to safeguard its national interests and economic security.

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Pakistan to allow India to send wheat to Afghanistan

Newsmantra — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 05:33:25 +0000

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that his government will allow India to send a humanitarian shipment of 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat to neighbouring Afghanistan through its territory after finalisation of the transit modalities.

Khan, who chaired the first Apex Committee meeting of the newly established Afghanistan Inter-ministerial Coordination Cell (AICC) in Islamabad, also took the opportunity to remind the international community of the collective responsibility to support Afghanistan to avoid a humanitarian crisis.

During the meeting, Khan announced Pakistan’s decision to allow the 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat India has offered to provide Afghanistan as humanitarian assistance to go through Pakistan as soon as modalities are finalised with the Indian side, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.

Currently, Pakistan only allows Afghanistan to export goods to India but doesn’t allow any other two-way trade through the border crossing.

Last month, India announced 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat for Afghanistan as humanitarian assistance and requested Pakistan to ship the food grain via the Wagah border.

Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi had also requested Prime Minister Khan to allow India to transport wheat via Pakistan, suggesting that the Taliban government was willing to accept the humanitarian assistance from India.

The Prime Minister] announced Pakistan’s decision to allow the 50,000 MT of wheat India has offered to provide Afghanistan as humanitarian assistance to go through Pakistan as soon as modalities are finalised with the Indian side,” the Pakistan PM’s office said, adding that Pakistan has also decided to facilitate “the return of Afghan patients who had gone to India for medical treatment and are stuck there”.

MEA yet to respond to announcement

The Ministry of External Affairs did not respond to the announcement from Pakistan. On November 11, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said India was looking at all possibilities to transfer the aid “but there have been difficulties due to lack of unimpeded access”.

Asked why India had not sent the aid through the Chabahar port in Iran to the Afghan border, the route it had employed in the last few years, officials declined to comment, but suggested that the route would prove too circuitous given the immediate need in Afghanistan.

The offer of wheat and other medical supplies was made formally to the Taliban regime by a Ministry of External Affairs delegation that attended the Moscow format conference in Russia and met Taliban Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi on October 20.

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MEA and celebrities for #IndiaAgainstPropaganda

Newsmantra — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 06:46:53 +0000

Ministry of External affaires and many celebrities including AJAY DEVGAN, SACHIN TENDULKAR , KARAN JOHAR, ANUPAM KHER and LATA MANGESHKAR objected foreigners tweet on farmers protest and said India is capable to deal with its internal matter and no out sider should comment on this .

In a Press Statement on recent comments by foreign individuals and entities on the farmers’ protests MEA said The Parliament of India, after a full debate and discussion, passed reformist legislation relating to the agricultural sector. These reforms give expanded market access and provided greater flexibility to farmers. They also pave the way for economically and ecologically sustainable farming.

A very small section of farmers in parts of India have some reservations about these reforms. Respecting the sentiments of the protestors, the Government of India has initiated a series of talks with their representatives. Union Ministers have been part of the negotiations, and eleven rounds of talks have already been held. The Government has even offered to keep the laws on hold, an offer iterated by no less than the Prime Minister of India.

Yet, it is unfortunate to see vested interest groups trying to enforce their agenda on these protests, and derail them. This was egregiously witnessed on January 26, India’s Republic Day. A cherished national commemoration, the anniversary of the inauguration of the Constitution of India, was besmirched, and violence and vandalism took place in the Indian capital.

Some of these vested interest groups have also tried to mobilise international support against India. Instigated by such fringe elements, Mahatma Gandhi statues have been desecrated in parts of the world. This is extremely disturbing for India and for civilised society everywhere.

Indian police forces have handled these protests with utmost restraint. It may be noted that hundreds of men and women serving in the police have been physically attacked, and in some cases stabbed and seriously wounded.

We would like to emphasise that these protests must be seen in the context of India’s democratic ethos and polity, and the efforts of the Government and the concerned farmer groups to resolve the impasse.

Before rushing to comment on such matters, we would urge that the facts be ascertained, and a proper understanding of the issues at hand be undertaken. The temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments, especially when resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible. ”

#IndiaTogether

#IndiaAgainstPropaganda

meanwhile American influencer Amanda Cerny, who hosts a podcast with actor Jacqueline Fernandez, has joined in the chorus of international support for protesting Indian farmers. This comes after tweets from singer RIHANA and activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday.

Amanda took to Instagram to share a black-and-white image of elderly ladies at the protest site, and wrote in her caption that the situation transcends culture. Her post got love from Ammy Virk, Gippy Grewal, Himanshi Khurana, among other, but also attracted its fair share of trolling.

Actor AJAY DEVGAN TWEETED Don’t fall for any false propaganda against India or Indian policies. Its important to stand united at this hour w/o any infighting.

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China’s bid to rake up Kashmir in UNSC fails

Newsmantra — Wed, 18 Dec 2019 07:13:34 +0000

China had earlier managed to hold informal closed-door consultations on Kashmir in the UNSC on August 16, 11 days after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 on August 5.

A move by China to get the Kashmir issue on the agenda for consultations in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has been thwarted by other members led by the US and France.

This time, sources said, Beijing sent a note to the UNSC over the weekend to “echo the request” of Pakistan for a briefing on Kashmir. On December 12, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had written to the UNSC and expressed concern about a possible escalation of the situation.

But the US, which holds the presidency of the UNSC for December, did not yield to the latest request by China. France also joined in and said that the Kashmir issue has to be discussed bilaterally. “We have highlighted this several times recently, including in New York,” French diplomatic sources said.

Chinese has withdrawn its request, and no meeting on Kashmir will be held, sources said. The UNSC is now meeting Tuesday on the issue of Sudan and South Sudan, as per their original schedule.

China’s move was rebuffed at a time when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh are meeting their American counterparts for the first 2+2 engagement. Singh reached New York Monday.

Delhi, meanwhile, rejected a resolution passed unanimously Monday by Pakistan’s parliament, the National Assembly, which referred to Kashmir and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, and condemned the Indian government over what it described as “discriminatory legislation” and “human rights abuses”.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) responded by “categorically” rejecting the resolution. “It is a thinly veiled attempt by Pakistan to further its false narrative on the issue of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. It seeks to provide justification for Pakistan’s unrelenting support for cross-border terrorist activities in India. We are confident that such attempts will fail,” it said.

It said the resolution is a “poorly disguised” effort to divert attention from Pakistan’s “appalling treatment and persecution of its own religious minorities”. The demographics of these minorities, whether Hindu, Christian, Sikh or other faiths, in Pakistan speak for themselves, it said.

It also said the resolution “intentionally mischaracterizes the objectives of the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019. This Act gives citizenship to foreigners from selected countries who are persecuted religious minorities. It does not take away the citizenship of any Indian irrespective of her or his faith.”

“It is laughable that the National Assembly of Pakistan, that has itself passed discriminatory legislation against religious minorities, should point fingers at others. We call upon Pakistan to engage in serious self-introspection rather than to falsely accuse others of what they themselves are guilty of,” the MEA statement said.

“Pakistan would do well to remember that India is the world’s largest democracy, that all its Governments have been freely and fairly elected through universal adult franchise, and that all Indians irrespective of faith enjoy equal rights under the Constitution. We urge Pakistan to similarly aspire to these ideals,” it said.

In Geneva, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan claimed at the Global Forum on Refugees that millions of Muslims could flee India due to the curfew in Kashmir and India’s new citizenship law.

“We are worried there not only could be a refugee crisis, we are worried it could lead to a conflict between two nuclear-armed countries… Our country will not be able to accommodate more refugees,” he said, urging the world to “step in now”.

In response to a query on Khan’s statement, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said: “Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has once again peddled familiar falsehoods at a multilateral platform to advance his narrow political agenda by making gratuitous and unwarranted remarks on matters entirely internal to India. It should now be clear to the entire world that this is an established pattern of his habitual and compulsive abuse of global forums.”

Kumar said: “It has been the unfortunate experience of most of Pakistan’s neighbours that actions by that country have had adverse consequences next door. Over the past 72 years, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has systematically persecuted all of its minorities, forcing most of them to flee to India. Moreover, Prime Minister Khan wishes the world forgets what his Army did in 1971 to the people of the erstwhile East Pakistan. Pakistan must act to protect and promote the rights of its own minorities and co-religionists.”

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JADHAV UNDER PRESSURE : MEA

Newsmantra — Tue, 03 Sep 2019 07:41:59 +0000

Kulbhshan Jadhav appeared to be under “extreme pressure” to parrot a false narrative to bolster Pakistan’s untenable claims in his case, the External Affairs Ministry said after a top Indian diplomat met him at a sub-jail for an hour.

Charge d’ Affaires at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad Gaurav Ahluwalia met Jadhav after Pakistan granted consular access to the retired Indian Navy officer following a directive from the International Court of Justice.

“While we await a comprehensive report, it was clear that Jadhav appeared to be under extreme pressure to parrot a false narrative to bolster Pakistan’s untenable claims,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

“We will decide a further course of action after receiving a detailed report from our Charge d’ Affaires and determining the extent of conformity to the ICJ directives,” he added.

Kumar said Monday’s consular access is a part of the “binding obligations” of Pakistan as ordered by the ICJ to make sure effective review and reconsideration of the conviction and sentence awarded to Jadhav through a “farcical process”.He said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has spoken to Jadhav’s mother and briefed her about the latest developments.

“The government remains committed to continue to work towards ensuring that Jadhav receives justice at the earliest and returns safely to India,” Kumar said. Jadhav, a retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017. Weeks later,

India approached the ICJ against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and to challenge the death sentence.In its verdict in the case on July 17, the ICJ ordered Pakistan to undertake an “effective” review of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and asked it to grant consular access to him now.

“The matter of denial of consular access was taken to ICJ by India. The court gave a unanimous decision in favour of India. Today, after victory in the ICJ, India will be proceeding for consular access to Jadhav,” said the source.

On August 1, Pakistan Foreign Office said Jadhav will be granted consular access the next day. However, India did not accept the offer due to certain conditions put by Islamabad for the meeting.

One of the conditions was the presence of a Pakistani official when Jadhav is allowed to meet Indian officials as part of the consular access. India did not agree to the condition, saying the access must be “unimpeded” and in the spirit of the ICJ judgement.

The fresh offer for consular access to Jadhav came in the midst of spiralling tensions between the two countries after India withdrew Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and bifurcated it into two union territories.

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