'Wake Up, Smell The Coffee, 370 Is History', EAM Jaishankar Tells Pakistan FM Bilawal Bhutto
Slamming Pakistan FM Bilawal Zardari Bhutto at the end of the SCO Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Jaishankar said he is 'promoter, justifier and spokesperson' of terrorism industry.
Benaulim, Goa: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Friday slammed Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Zardari Bhutto’s remarks on abrogation of Article 370 and said it is “history” even as he called him a “promoter, justifier and spokesperson of a terrorism industry”.
This came after Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal called India’s move to scrap Article 370 and 35 A that took away the special status of Jammu and Kashmir “unilateral and illegal” even as he told New Delhi to go back to the pre-August 2019 position.
“As a promoter, justifier and spokesperson of a terrorism industry, which is the mainstay of Pakistan, his positions were called out and they were countered, including at the SCO meeting itself,” Jaishankar said at a press conference Friday after the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting was concluded.
On being asked about India holding G20 events in Kashmir, Jaishankar said, “Jammu and Kashmir was, is, will be a part of India and G20 meetings are held in all states and union territories of India. So it is completely natural that it is held there.”
READ | Jaishankar Talks Of SCO Tackling ‘Menace Of Terrorism’ As Pakistan Foreign Minister Looks On
He said Pakistan has no locus standi on matters related to G20 or Srinagar.
“Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism,” Jaishankar said, adding that victims of terrorism defend themselves and “counter acts of terrorism, they call it out, they de-legitimise it, and that is exactly what is happening.”
“So, to come here and preach these hypocritical words as though we are on the same boat. I mean they are committing acts of terrorism,” Jaishankar said.
Referring to Friday’s terrorist attack in the Rajouri sector of J&K, he said, “I don’t want to jump the gun here but I think we are equally feeling outraged.”
“Let’s be very clear on this. On this matter (terrorism) I would say Pakistan’s credibility is depleting faster than its forex reserves. So let’s be clear what this is about,” he added.
Jaishankar was reacting to the statements made by Bilawal at the SCO meeting as well as at a press conference before he left for Pakistan.
Bilawal's Visit To India Is 'Not A Breakthrough'
According to Jaishankar, Bilawal came to India as a member of the SCO as part of multilateral diplomacy refuting claims that his Pakistani counterpart did that to achieve some kind of a “breakthrough” between India and Pakistan.
He said India has no issue to discuss with Pakistan except for one and that is “when will Pakistan vacate its illegal occupation of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. That is the only issue.”
Addressing the SCO, Bilawal had said countries “should not get caught up in weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring.” He had also said that countries need to find “practical and pragmatic” solutions to eliminate terrorism.
Reacting to that too, Jaishankar said, “It unconsciously reveals the mindset… What does weaponizing mean? It means that the activity is legitimate and somebody is weaponizing it. This means they think terrorism is legitimate…Do they mean we will put up with terrorism? That sentence spoke so much about the mindset of that country.”
He said Pakistan never changed its “playbook” of promoting terrorism and talking of peace. “There playbook is old, the only location was new, it was Goa.
Speaking to journalists on the margins of the SCO meet, Bilawal had said, “Today even if we (Pakistan) start or resume a dialogue there will be an outcome document out of that. That also can be violated by India.”
This is the first such visit by a Pakistani foreign minister to India in the last 12 years. It was in 2011 when Hina Rabbani Khar visited India as the then-foreign minister of Pakistan.
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