MEA blames US committee as key Jaishankar meet gets cancelled

WASHINGTON: The ministry of external affairs has blamed a US congressional committee for the cancellation of the meeting its leadership was scheduled to have with external affairs minister S Jaishankar on the sidelines of his visit here earlier this week for the second 2+2 ministerial dialogue.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee ( HFAC) a dded Indian American lawmaker Pramila Jayapal to the list of lawmakers who would attend the meeting “without seeking consent” and that the committee changed the conditions of the meeting by “unilaterally bringing a non-member”, an official familiar with the matter said.

Jayapal has been extremely critical of the restrictions in Kashmir since the August 5 nullification of Article 370. She s poke f orcefully about t he issues at a recent congressional hearing and at another called by a Congressionally mandated body, and has introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives calling upon India to undo such restrictions.

“Rep Jayapal is not a member of the HFAC, leave alone part of the HFAC leadership,” the official quoted above said.

“A meeting was not sought with her. Therefore, it was not India which put conditions for the meeting with the HFAC leadership but the HFAC that insisted on unilaterally bringing in a non member,” he added.

“A distorted narrative is being put out by some about EAM’S meeting with the US Congress. The external affairs minister asked to meet the leadership of the Senate and House Foreign Affairs Committees,” the official said. Jaishankar had said that he has “no interest” in meeting Jayapal.