Rating
Claim
Witness the power of New Powerful India! India’s external affair minister S.Jaishankar welcomed into the PENTAGON H.Q. of US department of defence.💪👏🏼 Don’t know, whether any other country’s EA minister could have received such a grand welcome in the history of pentagon…☺️
Explanation
India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar went on a 11-day trip to the USA to attend the United Nations General Assembly and to hold bilateral talks with US from 18th September to 28th September 2022. As part of his travel itinerary, S Jaishankar visited the Pentagon, the headquarters for US Department of Defense, where he was given a grand welcome through a “honour cordon” by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin III.
ANI has posted a tweet with a video of the “honour cardon” that was given to India’s External Affairs Minster S Jaishankar.
#WATCH | United States: Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin III hosts an honour cordon and welcomes External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar to the Pentagon pic.twitter.com/FlpYUshEwy
— ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2022
This video is shared by many supporters of the BJP that this is probably the best welcome for any minster of a foreign country has ever received. Their social media posts wondered if any other country’s minister had received a similar welcome as these kinds of welcomes are only given to Prime Ministers and Presidents. They attributed this claimed pride to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule and the respect he has garnered for the country. The above claim was made by Tamil Nadu BJP’s State Secretary – IT and Social Media Cell among others which can be seen here, here and here.
What’s the truth?
We searched if any other ministers of foreign country were given a similar welcome when they visited the Pentagon. Interestingly, in 2011 India’s then Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee Nirmal Verma received the ‘Honour Cordon’ welcome when he visited the Pentagon. A video of the event can be seen below which was uploaded in 2015.
India’s arch nemesis Pakistan’s ministers have received similar reception too. Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Bajwa was given the ‘honour cordon’ welcome in his 2019 visit to the Pentagon.
Same welcome was given earlier to Pakistan’s then Minister of Defense Chaudry Ahmed Mukhtar in 2016.
Similar welcomes have been given to delegates/Ministers from Ukraine, Indonesia, Israel, Saudi Arabia etc which can be seen by clicking the respective hyperlinks.
In our search, we find that it is not a unique welcome received by India’s External Affairs Minister and this is definitely not received just because Narendra Modi is ruling the country as similar reception was given to India’s delegate back in 2011 during Congress led UPA-II regime.
Conclusion
The viral claim by several supporters of BJP that India’s External Affairs Minister is probably the only one to have ever received such a grand welcome from the US during their visit to Pentagon is false.
