SAMAJ WEEKLY UK-
Bal Ram Sampla
Geopolitics – 22nd June 2025
In an opinion piece published on June 21, 2025 in The Hindu, Sonia Gandhi criticized the Modi government’s “silence” on both the Gaza crisis and Israel’s strike on Iran as a “surrender of values” .
She said India should not remain silent on the humanitarian devastation in Gaza or on what she described as an “unlawful strike” on Iran.
She warned that staying silent breaks with India’s decades-long tradition of a principled two-state solution and moral diplomatic values.
Sonia Gandhi added Iran has been a long-standing friend to India and is bound to us by deep civilisational ties. “It has a history of steadfast support, including in Jammu and Kashmir”
The BJP has dismissed her remarks as appeal to Muslim voters, branding them as vote-bank pandering.
Is Iran India’s Steadfast Friend?
Her assessment contradicts documented evidence of Iran’s opportunistic approach to the Kashmir issue. The evidence shows Iran’s position on Kashmir has been quite contradictory.
In 2010, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appealed to Muslims worldwide to back the freedom struggle in Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir, equating the dispute with ongoing conflicts in the Greater Middle East.
After India revoked Article 370 in August 2019, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei condemned India’s actions in strong Islamic terms, urging support for the “Muslim people of Kashmir.”
Iran’s foreign ministry officially called on India to “avoid resorting to force” in Kashmir and to respect the rights of the Kashmiri people.
Iran and Pakistan have frequently aligned rhetorically on the Muslim Ummah narrative — especially around Palestine and Kashmir.
Iran’s public criticism often takes on sectarian or religious tones, positioning itself as a defender of global Muslim causes — including Kashmir, to India’s discomfort.
But in 1992, Iran reportedly voted with India at the UN Human Rights Commission, helping block a Pakistan-led resolution against India on Kashmir.
Sonia Gandhi seem to have a selective memory. Maybe she referring to 1992 or to the Chabahar Port. But Chabahar Port is geopolitical arrangement.
Sonia Gandhi was most likely referring to Iran’s support in the early 1990s, possibly using it as a nostalgic reference to a more “principled” foreign policy era. But critics would say that this ignores how drastically Iran’s stance has shifted, especially post-article 370. It’s likely meant to invoke older diplomatic goodwill — but doing so underplays how significantly Iran has drifted toward India’s adversaries in recent years.
References
1. Kashmirobserver
https://kashmirobserver.net/2025/06/21/sonia-slams-indias-silence-on-gaza-iran-as-surrender-of-values/
2. https://theprint.in/india/still-not-too-late-for-indias-voice-to-be-heard-sonia-gandhi-on-devastation-in-gaza/2665620/
3. Surrender of values https://www.socialnews.xyz/2025/06/21/surrender-of-values-sonia-gandhi-on-indias-silence-on-israeli-attacks-on-iran-gaza/
4. https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/loss-of-voice-and-values-sonia-gandhi-hits-out-at-government-over-iran-gaza-silence-prnt/cid/2109101
