The meeting of the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs was held in Parliament on Friday. In this meeting, India-China, Israel-Palestine and India-Canada relations were discussed. Opposition MPs asked the government to clarify its stance on the Israel-Palestine issue and also sought clarification on the agreements reached in the dispute between India and China. The Minister of Foreign Affairs answered questions from MPs on behalf of the central Government.
At the meeting, the Foreign Secretary made a presentation on the position and role of the Government of India in the Israel-Palestine conflict. He said India has old relations with Israel and Palestine. India is concerned about the humanitarian problems arising there due to the war between Hamas and Israel. India is in favor of a peaceful solution. Explaining India’s stance on Palestine, the External Affairs Minister said the government has repeatedly said that India’s stance has been pro-Palestine. The Indian government is providing humanitarian aid to Palestine.
Canada did not respond
In the meeting, some opposition MPs also raised the issue of India’s sour relations with Canada in recent times, but the External Affairs Minister did not say anything about it. The issue of the border dispute with China was also raised, on which the Foreign Minister said that efforts are being made to restore the situation before 2020. He said that a separate response will be sent to members in this regard. Recently, an agreement has been reached between the Governments of India and China to end the situation in Eastern Ladakh since 2020.
Shashi Tharoor is the chairman of the committee.
The Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament is headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. There are 16 standing committees under the Lok Sabha and 16 under the Rajya Sabha. Each committee has 31 members, including 21 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. These members are appointed by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha on the recommendations of the respective parties.
