Kanwal Sibal

13.6K posts

Kanwal Sibal

Kanwal Sibal

@KanwalSibal

Former Indian Foreign Secretary. Indian Ambassador to Turkey, Egypt, France and Russia. Now Chancellor of JNU. Written over 700 op-eds.

New Delhi, India शामिल हुए Ağustos 2020
309 फ़ॉलोइंग104.1K फ़ॉलोवर्स
Kanwal Sibal
Kanwal Sibal@KanwalSibal·
No word of condemnation of continuing US/ Israeli aggression against Iran. If Iran’s actions to block the Strait of Hormuz are illegal, so is the US/ Israeli war on Iran. Iran’s Homuz action follows the US/ Israeli aggression, not precedes it. If blocking the Strait is causing pain to the developing countries, so is the spike in oil prices resulting from this US/ Israeli aggression. No word about the Israeli attack on South Pars which has provoked Iran to attack oil/ gas facilities in Qatar and other Gulf countries. The reference in this joint statement of the signatory countries making preparations to act appropriately in the Hornuz Strait is a veiled threat of intervention which can worsen matters. Pressure on Iran not to attack its neighbours is understandable but not strongly asking Israel and the US to end their attacks on Iran is not taking a balanced position.
Jacqui Heinrich@JacquiHeinrich

NEW: UK, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, & Japan issue joint statement expressing “readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts” to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, welcoming nations engaging in prep/planning & coordinating SPR releases and ways to increase output. Calls for Iran to “cease immediately its threats, laying of mines, drone and missile attacks and other attempts to block the Strait to commercial shipping, and to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2817” Read here: gov.uk/government/new…

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Kanwal Sibal
Kanwal Sibal@KanwalSibal·
He is implicitly admitting the US committed unprovoked aggression against Iran just as Japan did by attacking the US at Pearl Harbour! And saying this with the Japanese PM by his side! No finesse at all. Brutally insensitive.
Daractenus@Daractenus

Japanese Report: "Why didn't you tell US allies about the war before attacking Iran?" Donald Trump: "Who knows better about surprises then Japan. Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?" This man belong in a psychiatric ward.

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Kanwal Sibal
Kanwal Sibal@KanwalSibal·
Not clear what is meant by keeping us “ in the loop”? That the US should have sought our consent and we should have given it for a known US mercenary along with Ukranian mercenaries to illegally enter our border areas with Myanmar, cross into Myanmar to train insurgents there knowing their links with elements on our side that are of the same ethnic group?
Chris Blackburn@CJBdingo25

@KanwalSibal The USA should have kept the South Block in the loop.

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Kanwal Sibal
Kanwal Sibal@KanwalSibal·
Using India as a “staging area” to promote insurgency in a neighbouring country is an entirely unacceptable violation of our sovereignty and our national laws. This terrorist activity by Ukranian mercenaries led by a known US mercenary “staged” from our soil cannot be played down because of general antipathy for the Myanmar regime. Terrorists become militant humanitarian activists!
Christopher Clary@clary_co

Good summary of the situation, including misinformation surrounding it. My own view is that there are many in the West with considerable antipathy for the Burmese military juna & sympathy for the Burmese rebels & that likely explains what happened here. India was a staging area.

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Kanwal Sibal
Kanwal Sibal@KanwalSibal·
Even if for argument’s sake their activities are aimed at Myanmar the entering into and exiting from Myanmar through adjoining Indian territory in violation of Indian laws by foreign mercenaries is a very serious matter. It also constitutes interference in our relations with Myanmar. That they entered Mizoram illegally is a fact and talking of Russian “disinformation” in this regard is a distraction.
Chris Blackburn@CJBdingo25

We need clarity on a dangerous situation. But is Russia is flooding the zone with disinformation? I've made inquiries into @Matt_VanDyke and @OfficialSOLI activities in Burma/Myanmar. They seem to be focused only on Myanmar, not the Seven Sisters. But it's early days. More could be released. There have also been dubious reports SOLI sniper teams were active in the Monsoon Uprising in Bangladesh...

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Rohit Lal
Rohit Lal@rohit_l·
India and the War in West Asia Former Foreign Secretary and Ambassador @KanwalSibal systematically spells out the astonishingly careless and chaotic approach taken by U.S. President Trump in his ill-advised war with Iran, and the costs the wider region will have to bear, including India. indianarrative.com/opinion/india-…
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Nisarg Dalal
Nisarg Dalal@NisargSDalal·
“The overall Iranian objective in an existential war would be to destabilise US presence in the region, even if it is at the cost of its own interests, especially in the UAE, which is a hub for networks that enable Iran to bypass Western sanctions.”
Kanwal Sibal@KanwalSibal

indianarrative.com/opinion/india-…

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Mariano Caucino
Mariano Caucino@CaucinoMariano·
Acompañando al Secretario General del Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires Fulvio Pompeo @FulvioP en su reunión con el Chancellor de la J.Nehru University, Embajador @KanwalSibal - Productiva conversación sobre posibilidades de extensión educativa, universitaria y cultural entre nuestros países.
Mariano Caucino tweet media
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Kanwal Sibal
Kanwal Sibal@KanwalSibal·
The Ukranian Foreign Ministry has upped the diplomatic ante by taking an aggressive public position on the issue instead of dealing with it more discreetly. Asking the arrested Ukrainians to be released forthwith is being presumptuous. This suggests that they have stakes in covering up the matter, which means they want to prevent a thorough investigation that could prove embarrassing for the Ukranian regime.
OpIndia.com@OpIndia_com

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry disregards India's authority on Indian soil, demands release of its citizens and criticises NIA's action, including the legal process. This is not the first time. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has been arrogant for years opindia.com/2026/03/ukrain…

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Kanwal Sibal
Kanwal Sibal@KanwalSibal·
Unnecessarily long statement. Asks for the release of the arrested persons as if Ukrainians cannot be subject to a due process in a foreign country if they break the law. Rather absurdly the statement says: “ At the same time, proper marking of such areas on the ground is often absent, which creates a risk of unintentional violation of the established rules.” Did these fellows travel by mistake to a remote corner of India bordering Myanmar. Mizoram borders Myanmar. Chins in Myanmar belong to the same ethnic group as the Mizos. The situation in Myanmar is highly unstable because of insurgencies. 30000 Chin refugees have entered Mizoram. What lines on the ground were the Ukrainians looking for? What was their interest in going to Mizoram?
Sidhant Sibal@sidhant

Full statement of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine: On 13 March 2026, six citizens of Ukraine were detained in the Republic of India. According to preliminary information, the charges concern unauthorized presence in the state of Mizoram, access to which requires a special permit, as well as the alleged illegal crossing of the state border between India and Myanmar. At present, the competent authorities of India are conducting the relevant investigative actions. As of now, there are no established facts proving the involvement of the said Ukrainian citizens in unlawful activities on the territory of India or Myanmar. At the same time, certain publications, including in some Indian and Russian media outlets, contain distorted interpretations of the available facts, are manipulative in nature, and put forward unfounded allegations. The details of the case are not being disclosed in the interests of the investigation. With the assistance of Ukrainian consular officers of the Embassy of Ukraine in India, the citizens have been provided with legal aid and defence counsel during the court proceedings. On 16 March 2026, a court hearing took place, which was also attended by representatives of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of India; however, they were not granted the opportunity to communicate directly with the detainees. Following the hearing, the court decided to extend their detention until 27 March 2026. Contrary to established international practice, the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of India did not receive any official notification from the competent authorities of India regarding the detention of Ukrainian citizens. The Ukrainian side insists on the immediate provision of unimpeded consular access to the detainees. The Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of India Dr. Oleksandr Polishchuk held a meeting with the Secretary (West) of the Ministry of External Affairs of India, Mr. Sibi George, during which he handed over an official note of protest demanding the immediate release of the Ukrainian citizens and access to them. In addition, the Embassy is maintaining contacts with other competent authorities of India in order to clarify all the circumstances and reasons for the detention. The Ukrainian diplomatic mission remains in constant contact with the relatives of the detained Ukrainian citizens and is keeping the situation under special control. We draw attention to the fact that there are certain restricted-access zones in India for foreign nationals, entry to which is possible only with special permits. At the same time, proper marking of such areas on the ground is often absent, which creates a risk of unintentional violation of the established rules.

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RT_India
RT_India@RT_India_news·
The US-Israel War on Iran Shows that Washington Has Not Learned From Its Past Mistakes, @KanwalSibal writes. rt.com/india/635232-u…
RT_India tweet media
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Kanwal Sibal
Kanwal Sibal@KanwalSibal·
The USCIRF plays politics in India. It has attacked the BJP-led government for introducing and enforcing discriminatory legislation that “disenfranchises religious minorities, including the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the National Register of Citizens, the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), and various state-level anti-conversion and cow slaughter laws.” The irony is that USCIRF put India on the Watchlist for violating religious freedoms for the first time in 2009 when the UPA under MMS was in power. In its 2010 report it made the same recommendation. It said: “…justice for victims of communal violence was slow and often ineffective, thereby perpetuating a climate of impunity. While there was no large-scale communal violence against religious minorities during the reporting period, attacks on Christians and Muslims and their places of worship continued, along with incidences of intolerance against both Because the governmental response at the state and local levels continues to be largely inadequate and the national government has failed to take effective measures to ensure the rights of religious minorities in several states…” No homework done? The core issue is not RSS here . To quote this anti- Indian/ anti- Hindu body of a foreign country and associate with it to settle domestic political scores is most unfortunate.. We need to have more self-respect.
Congress@INCIndia

"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐒 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐒𝐒." This recommendation was made to the Donald Trump administration by the USCIRF, an official US government body. The USCIRF has warned that the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) poses a threat to people's religious freedom. Its recommendations are clear: 👉 Ban the RSS immediately. 👉 Seize its assets. 👉 Prohibit entry into the US for RSS members. ⦿ Sardar Patel ji banned the RSS in India following the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi ji. An organisation that opposes the Constitution and advocates running the country according to the Manusmriti is poison to the unity and brotherhood of this nation.

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Kanwal Sibal
Kanwal Sibal@KanwalSibal·
If correctly reported, this is an astonishing view. It means that the UN Charter can be dispensed with in dealing with Iran despite it being a UN member. It means Iran can be dealt with lawlessly. It also means that international humanitarian law doesn’t apply to Iran either. Which means by extension that genocide can be committed against the Iranian people. Has the German FM thought through the implications of what he is expounding?
Hanno Hauenstein@hahauenstein

Germany’s foreign minister says a regime like Iran cannot invoke international law. Turns out for Germany, international law isn’t universal - it’s pick-and-choose.

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Nisarg Dalal
Nisarg Dalal@NisargSDalal·
Former FS @KanwalSibal expresses surprise over the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation statement staying silent on the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (surprising even more so given China, Russia and more importantly Iran are members of the body).
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