New Delhi:A perplexed Shashi Tharoor questioned The Washington Post over its decision to include his son Ishaan Tharoor - a highly-regarded international affairs analyst and writer with a sizeable online following - among the 300+ journalists and staffers sacked by this week by the struggling publication.

On X, Tharoor pointed out Ishaan's 'WorldView' column "flourished" and said the Post could have tried monetising that kind of reach, rather than this "perverse act of self-immolation".

"The bizarre thing about this so-called 'business decision' by The Washington Post is that Ishaan Tharoor's column flourished on the Internet...

where he had 500,000 (half a million plus!) individual subscribers for his 'Worldview' newsletter," the Congress leader said."I've met foreign ministers, diplomats, and scholars who read him daily," Tharoor said.

The tweet followed historian Andre Pagli recognising Ishaan Tharoor as an expert in international affairs. "Nobody better - or even equal to - Ishaan in his domain... Saddened by the news but confident we'll get to read much more by him before long..." he said on X.Late Wednesday night Ishaan Tharoor confirmed on X that he too had been sacked.

"I have been laid off today from The Washington Post," he began, "... with most of the International staff and so many other wonderful colleagues. I'm heartbroken for our newsroom and especially for the peerless journalists who served the Post internationally..."

Source:Ndtv