Pawan Khera (PTI image)

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday sharply criticised external affairs minister S Jaishankar, accusing him of failing to safeguard India’s diplomatic interests after a reported deletion of an Indian map by the United States.Congress leader Pawan Khera took to X to question the government’s silence after a spokesperson of Pakistan’s Foreign Office claimed credit for the removal of the Indian map by the United States that had depicted the entire region of Jammu and Kashmir, including Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), as part of India.

Giving context to his criticism, Khera wrote: “A spokesperson of Pakistan’s Foreign Office claimed credit for the deletion of an Indian map by the United States – a map that depicted the entire region of Jammu and Kashmir, including Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), as part of India. Yet we haven’t heard a word on this from our Ministry of External Affairs.”Targeting Jaishankar directly, he added: “I have asked this before, and I will ask it again: What exactly does the ‘Forum Minister’ do? Is his job limited to delivering speeches at international fora or does it also include doing some substantive work for India’s interests?”In an earlier post, Khera had also criticised the minister’s foreign engagements, stating: “We will again see the ‘Forum Minister’ speak from his pulpit at some new forum in the world. The taxpayer is paying for his lavish trips and he has a big fat zero to show for his efforts.”Further listing his concerns, he wrote: “In a latest interview, Trump again claimed he use trade and tariffs to threaten Modi to stop Operation Sindoor. India has been arm twisted to stop buying Russian Oil. We continue to lose the battle of narratives against Pakistan – the US Trade Representative Office has deleted a map showing the entire Jammu and Kashmir (including PoK) as a part of India. What is Jaishankar doing? Is he doing something at all?”The controversy stems from a map released by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) alongside the announcement of an interim trade agreement framework between India and the US.

Screenshot of map shared by US Trade Representative Office

The map had shown the entire Jammu and Kashmir region, including PoK, as part of India. It also depicted Aksai Chin within Indian territory.The release of the map was seen by some analysts as a significant departure from earlier US depictions, which often marked these areas as disputed. However, following claims by Pakistan that the map was later deleted, opposition leaders questioned the Centre’s response.India has consistently maintained that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country and does not require external validation of its sovereignty.