Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey on Thursday cited a declassified letter from former US President Ronald Reagan to then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to take aim at the Congress party’s criticism of American involvement in India-Pakistan relations.
Sharing the letter on social media platform X, Dubey accused the Congress of historically yielding to American pressure in foreign policy decisions. “Why does Congress get angry? Reading this letter filled me with regret,” he wrote.
According to Dubey, the letter — dated 1988 — shows that the US played a major role in shaping the nuclear agreement between India and Pakistan that year. “President Reagan sent this message to Rajiv Gandhi. Under American pressure, we initiated talks with Pakistani President General Zia. The US set the agenda,” he said.
The agreement in question is the Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack Against Nuclear Installations and Facilities, signed by India and Pakistan on December 31, 1988, and enforced in 1991. It marked a rare moment of cooperation between the two rivals during the Cold War era.
Dubey further claimed that even India’s dialogue with the Soviet Union on the Afghanistan crisis was influenced by Washington. He questioned whether these moves aligned with the spirit of the 1972 Shimla Agreement and the legacy of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. “Were we truly a sovereign nation? Or just following orders?” he asked.
An excerpt of Reagan’s letter, shared by Dubey, reads:
“You know my apprehensions regarding nuclear competition in the subcontinent. Your discussions with President Zia next week in Delhi can help set the agenda for peace… We are also working bilaterally to enhance non-proliferation prospects, as you asked.”
Dubey’s comments come amid Congress criticism of the Modi government’s handling of cross-border diplomacy, including its decision to halt Operation Sindoor, launched after the Pahalgam terror attack.
He also raised questions about India’s military deployment to Sri Lanka in the 1980s, suggesting that, according to the letter, it may have been influenced by US interests. “Did we send our army to Sri Lanka under American pressure, to fight our Tamil brothers?” he asked.