File photo of former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with former Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj | Photo Credit: Reuters
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has expressed displeasure over the comments made by the former US Secretary of State on his predecessor Sushma Swaraj. Stat Mike Pompeo in the latter’s new bookNever Give An Inch: Fighting for the America I Love,
“On the Indian side, my original counterpart was not a significant player in the Indian foreign policy team. Instead, I worked more closely with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, a close and trusted confidante of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Pompeo, 59, wrote in his book.
Mr Pompeo said Mr Jaishankar “can see why I had trouble with his predecessor, a mindless and heartland political hack”.
Commenting on Pompeo’s claims, Mr. Jaishankar said PTI“I have seen a passage in Secretary Pompeo’s book referring to Sushma Swaraj Yes, I have always held him in high regard and had very close and cordial relations with him. I condemn the derogatory colloquialism used for him.
Mr Jaishankar’s response came despite Mr Pompeo’s praise for him. Mr Pompeo wrote of Mr Jaishankar, “I couldn’t have asked for a better counterpart.” “I love this man. English is one of the seven languages he speaks, and his is somewhat better than mine.
The former US diplomat described Mr Jaishankar as “professional, rational and a fierce defender of his boss and his country”.
never give an inchMr Pompeo’s book about his time serving in Donald Trump’s administration was released on Tuesday.
The book describes Mr Pompeo’s time as CIA director and secretary of state under Trump. It is one of several books by potential candidates for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Mr Pompeo claimed that he “woke up” once to speak to Swaraj who told him that Pakistan was preparing for a nuclear strike after the Balakot surgical strike in February 2019 and that India was preparing an aggressive response of its own. was preparing.
“I don’t think the world knows exactly how close the India-Pakistan rivalry came to spilling over into a nuclear explosion in February 2019. The truth is, I don’t even know the exact answer; I know it was very close,” he writes.
In the book, Mr Pompeo also criticized the “fake outrage” caused by the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, which “made the media crazier than the vegetarian at the butcher” and claimed that Khashoggi was not a journalist, but “an activist”. were the ones who supported the losing team.
(With inputs from PTI)