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Congress leader Pawan Khera on Sunday said that the government should have demanded an apology over the US attack on a commercial ship in the Gulf in which three Indians were killed and said the External Affairs Minister's remarks were only a "mild rebuke".
Khera told ANI that a commercial vessel of a third country cannot be attacked in a conflict. "Jaishankar's post says that the words he used was not justified. It's a very mild way of rebuking somebody who's killed your own people. Whereas Rubio's statement is very harsh on us. You've killed our people, you have to apologize. There are international laws. You can't attack a commercial vessel of a third country in a conflict. There is a San Remo Manual which governs it," Khera said. "There is the Geneva Convention of 1949 which governs it and there are additional protocols that govern. Why was Jaishankar so apologetic? We have lost lives. We should have demanded apology but look at the international humiliation...," he added. Earlier in the day, Congress leader Manish Tewari slammed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio over his remarks during talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar over the attacks by the US in Gulf that killed three Indian mariners and said the comments are "abrupt, abrasive confrontational." Tewari said in a post on X that there was "no regret, no remorse, no empathy, no sympathy" in Rubio's remarks and these "could not have been more belligerent". The Congress leader said it is not the language with a country, which is described as "friend". "No regret , No remorse, no empathy, no sympathy. Abrupt, abrasive confrontational. @SecRubio could not have been more belligerent. The sub text in between the lines - is Indian sailors were responsible for what happened to them. Hardly the language you use with a country you call a friend," Tewari said in a post on X. He said Jaishankar should put out read out his call. "Rather than being namby pamby and wishy washy @DrSJaishankar must put out his read out of the call . It would be interesting to know whether @DrSJaishankar stood upto this coarseness," Tewari added. The US Department of State said that Rubio, in his telephonic conversation with Jaishankar, stressed that all commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz must adhere to orders by the US. "Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke yesterday with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The two officials discussed recent events in the Strait of Hormuz. The Secretary stressed that all commercial vessels should immediately comply with orders from U.S. forces as they seek to uphold peace and security in the Strait. He underscored that violations of the U.S. blockade and the illicit transport of Iranian oil will not be tolerated," the Office of Spokesperson said. Jaishankar on Saturday said he spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to convey India's strong protest over US Navy attacks in the Gulf that killed three Indian mariners. He described such actions against commercial shipping as unjustified. "Spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this evening. I reiterated India's strong protest at the attacks by the US Navy in the Gulf that killed three Indian mariners. Such lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified," Jaishankar said in a post on X. Some other Congress leaders have also slammed Rubio's remarks. (ANI)
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