"Govt must clarify steps taken to reopen Strait of Hormuz": Congress MP Manish Tewari

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], April 3 : Congress Member of Parliament Manish Tewari on Friday demanded that the central government must speak transparently about the efforts being made to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, underlining that before the West Asia confict India used to transport 22 billion barrels of crude oil, which has reduced to only 0.5 million now.

"The fundamental point is that Turkey is taking the initiativeas are Egypt and China; furthermore, reports have emerged over the past few months indicating that certain meetings have taken place in Pakistan. But what initiative is the government taking, from a diplomatic standpoint, regarding the potential loss of access to the Strait of Hormuz? Before February 28, 22 million barrels of crude oil per day used to flow through that route, a figure that has now plummeted to 0.5 million barrels," he said.

He urged the Centre to clarify what steps are being taken in order to re-accelerate the Strait of Hormuz.

"A significant portion of this oil is still being directed to China, while Pakistan has secured certain concessions. Meanwhile, India has received only two or three tankers. Yet, consider the stark contrast: from 22 million barrels per day, the volume has now dropped to a mere 0.5 million barrels per day. The Government of India must clarify what steps it is taking to ensure the continued accessibility of the Strait of Hormuz," he said.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council is scheduled to vote on Friday (local time) on a draft resolution proposed by Bahrain that seeks to authorise member states to use "all defensive means necessary" to ensure safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz amid the conflict in West Asia, CNN reported.

The proposal comes amid rising tensions over maritime security amid the conflict in West Asia, which has seen severe disruption in energy trade due to the virtual blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global energy trade.

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