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Tharoor described India’s “relative absence” at such a significant diplomatic platform as “puzzling, in a region that is reshaping itself”
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. (PTI file photo)
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday took a veiled reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to skip the Gaza peace summit in Egypt, questioning India’s limited representation at the high-profile event, which will see participation of world leaders.
Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh will attend the summit in Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on behalf of the Prime Minister.
The meeting, co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and US President Donald Trump, will bring together nearly 20 heads of state to discuss the future of Gaza and regional stability in the Middle East.
Taking to X, Tharoor wrote, “Strategic restraint or missed opportunity?” while noting that India’s representation at the ministerial level “stands in stark contrast to the galaxy of grandees” present at the summit.
Clarifying that his remarks were not a criticism of Kirti Vardhan Singh personally, Tharoor said India’s decision might “signal a preference for strategic distance” that is not reflected in the country’s official statements.
“For reasons of protocol access alone, India’s voice at the summit on reconstruction and stability issues may carry less weight than it could have,” the Congress MP added.
India’s presence at the Sharm el-Sheikh Gaza peace summit, at the level of a Minister of State, stands in stark contrast to the heads of state gathered there. Strategic restraint or missed opportunity?This is no reflection on Kirti Vardhan Singh, whose competence is not in…
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 13, 2025
He further described India’s “relative absence” at such a significant diplomatic platform as “puzzling, in a region that is reshaping itself.”
The Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit, hosted by President al-Sisi, aimed to chart a roadmap for lasting peace in Gaza following Hamas’ release of the remaining Israeli hostages, a move seen as a potential step toward ending two years of conflict triggered by the militant group’s October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel.
Among those attending are British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
October 13, 2025, 6:50 PM IST
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