New Delhi [India], March 31 : Amid the developing security situation in West Asia and the Gulf region, Former Deputy National Security Advisor Pankaj Saran on Tuesday noted how India's "silence" has worked in favour of the United States, Israel and Gulf countries, highlighting how such strategic posturing works to ensure India's interests and values are protected.
He made the remarks in a conversation with ANI while responding to a query on whether India's strategic silence is being interpreted as tacit support for the US and Israel.
Noting that he would concur with the view to a certain extent, Saran said, "To some extent. This is an issue where you have interests, and you have values."
He spoke about the growing backlash in global public opinion against the United States over its military actions, especially in Iran.
He emphasised that India's foreign policy is guided by its strategic interests, especially in maintaining ties across the region, including with the Gulf nations and Iran--underlining the balancing of relations as a consistent feature of India's foreign policy.
"Our interests lie with the Gulf states. They also lie with Iran."
He added, "There has been this element in our policy of where you play Iran and Pakistan against each other. So that's why we maintained, among many other reasons, always a channel and friendly relations with Iran. So this is a balance issue."
He recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Israel and said, "Its a judgment call. It's a political decision of what the government wants to do. The Prime Minister went to Israel two days before. So there is that element here. So the silence that we have maintained is obviously helpful to the Americans and the Israelis. Let's put it that way. And to the Gulf states."
He said that while in some senses New Delhi has taken a side, but eventually history would judge whether the decision was correct.
"In some senses, yes, you have taken a side. It'll only be history which will judge whether you took the right decision or not. It's very difficult at this time when we're in the thick of it."
The remarks come as the conflict between US-Israel and Iran has now entered into its second month, with escalated security situation in West Asia and the Gulf region.