File photo courtesy PPP Media Cell
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday described the vitriolic remarks uttered by his Indian counterpart shortly after his return from Goa as stemming from “a sense of insecurity.”
The foreign minister returned to Karachi after a two-day trip to the Indian city where he attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)’s Council of Foreign Ministers meeting. Shortly after he left Goa, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told media that terrorism in all its form, including cross-border terrorism, must be eradicated—which is Delhi’s frequent reference to Pakistan.
The Indian minister also rubbished Bhutto-Zardari’s demands for Delhi to reverse the unilateral abrogation of India-held Kashmir’s special constitutional status, describing it as “history,” and reiterated allegations of Pakistan backing terrorists in Kashmir. He also accused the foreign minister of being a “spokesperson for terror industry.”
Speaking with media upon his return to Pakistan, Bhutto-Zardari said he had successfully “countered the false narrative” of the Narendra Modi-led Indian government that every Muslim was a terror suspect, as well as exposing Delhi’s history of defying bilateral and international agreements. He also reiterated that Pakistan’s principle position was that there could not be any change to its policy toward India until it reversed the steps of Aug. 6, 2019.
To a question on Jaishankar’s remarks about him, he said: “The propaganda, which he [Jaishankar] is toeing being a representative of the same party which has built all this narrative, is actually exposed by us. They have built this narrative full of lies which clubs every Muslim with a terrorist,” he said, adding that this narrative “fizzles out” when the son of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto sits on the global stage as a foreign minister of his country.
The foreign minister further alleged that the reason for the Indian official’s anger was Pakistan’s successful advocacy of Kashmir cause and proof of India’s repeated violations of international laws and bilateral agreements. “Another lie of India which we exposed is its attitude of defiance,” he said. “This isn’t possible that one fine morning you wake up, mark a circle on the map and then claim that Kashmir is ours. No, it can’t be. Whether it’s a resolution of the U.N. General Assembly or its Security Council, you defy every agreement and international law. You never fulfil your bilateral or multilateral commitments. With our Kashmir cause perspective, we countered all these lies and propaganda which definitely hurts them,” he added.
To a question, Bhutto-Zardari also denied any backchannel talks between Pakistan and India, while admitting that they had proven helpful in the past.