Congress flags US missile deal with Pakistan, says ‘diplomatic setbacks accumulating fast’

The Congress on Wednesday cited a recent US government notification to question India’s foreign policy direction, pointing out that Pakistan has now been included among countries receiving advanced American missiles.

Referring to a notification issued by the US Department of War on military contracts awarded on September 30, 2025, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the list includes Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey and Pakistan as recipients of Raytheon-made Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs).

Ramesh noted that a similar notification dated May 7, 2025, had named only countries such as Canada, Taiwan, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Sweden, Czech Republic, South Korea, Kuwait, Japan, Finland, Germany, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, Australia, Turkey, Spain, and Lithuania.

“How quickly the diplomatic climate changes, and how quickly diplomatic setbacks accumulate!” the Congress leader remarked, suggesting that India’s strategic leverage has declined under the current government.