Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. (File image: PTI)
Sources told CNN-News18 that the committee has selected 17 topics to be discussed in the coming months before the group submits its report to Parliament
The Standing Committee on External Affairs, chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, met in Parliament on Monday to select topics for discussion for its mandate.
Sources told CNN-News18 that the committee has selected 17 topics that will be discussed in the coming months before the group submits its report to Parliament.
Most of the committee members are new to the panel and actively participated in the selection of the topics to be discussed. Apart from Dr Tharoor, members of Parliament like Asaduddin Owaisi are part of the panel.
Many members suggested that the committee take up the crucial question of the situation in West Asia and its impact.
The situation is very uncertain and India is closely monitoring what is happening in the region, government sources have already said.
Dr. Tharoor, who is a former foreign minister, was able to convince the committee that the committee could ask the ministry officials to depose before it information regarding the situation in West Asia. However, this is only to inform the committee about what is happening, sources said. They added that the panel is unlikely to write or submit a report on the matter. “This is an evolving matter and it would not be possible for the committee to report on a matter like this,” a source told CNN-News18.
Apart from the situation in West Asia, several MPs would also like to discuss the issue of migrants from India in these countries and their conditions, etc. The MPs also asked the Speaker to help get details of several migrants who were lured with jobs but ended up being cheated and put in dangerous situations.
“This is a very important issue and it affects India because many, many Indians live all over the world and in these countries, and they contribute significantly to India’s economy,” a source said.
The commission will also discuss issues related to the neighbours, especially what has been witnessed in Bangladesh since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, as well as Sri Lanka. All issues affecting neighboring nations will be discussed under one theme: India’s Neighborhood Policy. In fact, during the last session of Parliament, when the government held an all-party meeting on the situation in Bangladesh, sources said that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had already assured the parties that once the advisory committees were formed, he would address the issue of India’s neighborhood policy proactively.
While the standing committee is chaired by Dr Tharoor, the advisory committee on external affairs will be headed by Dr Jaishankar himself.
Apart from this, sources said the commission would like to be briefed on issues like Passport Seva Kendras across the country. The panel decided not to discuss the situation between Ukraine and Russia for the time being.
As for the situation in West Asia, India maintains that war is not the solution to any crisis. As in the past during the Ukraine crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked all countries to exercise restraint. India has unequivocally condemned Hamas’ attack on Israel last year. Recent events following Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon and Iran’s attack have further exacerbated the situation as it could be on the verge of escalating into a regional conflict.
Some of India’s concerns in the region include a large diaspora, a spike in energy prices, as well as issues in countries in the Global South. Prime Minister Modi recently met Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas in New York and spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over phone, offering India’s support for mediation.
