'Kartarpur Corridor not a googly but sincere effort for peaceful ties', Imran Khan dismisses Qureshi's remarks

Khan, on Monday said that the Kartarpur Corridor opening was not a "double game" but a sincere effort in establishing peaceful ties with India.

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New Delhi:  Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday downplayed the controversial “googly” remark by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi over which he was slammed by his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj. Dismissing the remark, Khan said that Kartarpur Corridor was a “sincere effort” to establish peaceful ties with India. After the ground-breaking ceremony of the landmark Kartarpur Corridor, Pakistan Foreign Minister Qureshi said on Thursday that Pakistan Prime Minister Khan bowled a "googly" to ensure Indian government's presence at the groundbreaking ceremony of the landmark Kartarpur Corridor. The statement had prompted a stern criticism from Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Khan, on Monday said that the Kartarpur Corridor opening was not a "double game" but a sincere effort in establishing peaceful ties with India. "The (ground-breaking) ceremony (of Kartarpur) was a peace initiative. It was a sincere effort. So was the invitation extended to the Indian ministers. It was not a googly for sure," Khan was quoted as saying by Geo News during a meeting with TV anchors and reporters in the capital. Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s “googly” statement had come a day after Swaraj ruled out any possibility of recommencement of bilateral talks with Pakistan unless it stops cross-border terror activities against India. He was slammed by Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who said his statement exposed that Pakistan had no respect for the Sikh sentiments and was doing it all for politics.  "Mr Foreign Minister of Pakistan - your 'googly' remarks in a dramatic manner has exposed none but you. This shows that you have no respect for Sikh sentiments. You only play 'googlies'," she tweeted.