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The Foreign Office on Wednesday rejected as “baseless and frivolous” remarks by Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in which he had indirectly described Pakistan as the “epicenter of terrorism.”
On Monday, while addressing a joint press conference with his Austrian counterpart, Jaishankar had mentioned “cross-border practices” of terrorism, adding: “Since the epicenter [of terrorism] is located so close to India, naturally, our experiences and insights are useful to others.” In a subsequent media appearance, he had claimed he could use “much harsher words” and believes “epicenter” is a “very diplomatic word.”
In a statement responding to media queries, the Foreign Office said the “tirade” reflected “growing frustration” in India over its failure to malign and isolate Pakistan. “For the last several years, India has engaged in a malicious campaign to mislead the international community through a fictitious narrative of victimhood and vile anti-Pakistan propaganda. This practice must stop,” it said, emphasizing that Indian statements could not erase its “brazen involvement in fomenting terrorism on Pakistan’s soil” or its state-sponsored terrorism in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
“Instead of pointing fingers at others, India should itself end its involvement in terrorism, subversion and espionage against Pakistan,” it advised, recalling that Pakistan had issued a dossier “only a few weeks ago” with “irrefutable evidence” of Delhi’s involvement in a 2021 bombing in Lahore.
“From the death of over 40 Pakistani nationals on Indian soil in the 2007 Samjhota Express tragedy to the arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav, a serving commander of Indian Navy, from within Pakistan in 2016, the evidence of Indian involvement in terrorism and sabotage is irrefutable and spans over decades and geographies,” it added.