External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Friday tore into Pakistan completely, calling his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari the “promoter, justifier and spokesperson of a terrorism industry”.
“As a Foreign Minister of an SCO member state, Mr Bhutto Zardari was treated accordingly. As a promoter, justifier and spokesperson of a terrorism industry which is the mainstay of Pakistan, his positions were called out and countered including at the SCO meeting itself”, he said.
“Victims of terrorism do not sit together with its perpetrators to discuss terrorism,” Jaishankar said after a meeting of foreign ministers of the member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Goa.
“Bhutto Zardari came as Foreign Minister of a SCO member state; that’s part of multilateral diplomacy and we don’t see anything more than that,” Jaishankar asserted.
At the presser, Jaishankar gave a strong message to China over China-Pakistan-Economic-Corridor, terming the so-called project as an attempt to violate the territorial integrity and sovereignty of India.
Unsparing in his attack on Bhutto at the SCO meeting in Panaji, Jaishankar called out Pakistan over terror, saying “On terrorism, Pakistan’s credibility is depleting even faster than its forex reserves.” Jaishankar did not hold a bilateral meeting with Bhutto at the SCO meeting.
Jaishankar’s comments came on a day when five Indian Army soldiers were killed in action during an operation to find terrorists hiding in a forest near Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch. The terrorists, suspected to be Pakistanis, had ambushed an army truck last week, killing five other soldiers. Zardari is the first Pakistani Foreign Minister to visit India in nearly 12 years. In 2011, then Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar had visited India. The last minister-level visit from Pakistan was in 2016 by Sartaj Aziz.
At the SCO meeting, Jaishankar called for united efforts to fight terrorism. He said taking eyes off terrorism would be bad for the SCO. “We must not allow anybody – individual or state – to hide behind non-state actors… While the world was engaged in facing Covid and its consequences, the menace of terrorism continued unabated. Taking our eyes off this menace would be detrimental to our security interests,” Jaishankar said.
Addressing the gathering which also included Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang, Jaishankar said, “We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism, and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism”.
Jaishankar also called for an end to terror financing. “The channel of finances for terror activities must be seized and blocked without distinction. Members need not be reminded that combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of the SCO,” he said.
Addressing a briefing, Jaishankar again took a swipe at his Pakistani counterpart. “Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism. Victims of terrorism defend themselves, counter acts of terrorism, they call it out, they legitimise it and that is exactly what is happening. To come here & preach these hypocritical words as though we are on the same boat”, he said.
“They are committing acts of terrorism. I don’t want to jump the gun on what happened today but we are all feeling equally outraged. On this matter, the terrorism matter, I would say that Pakistan’s credibility is depleting faster than even its Forex reserves”, the minister said.
On Pakistan opposing India holding G20 meeting in Jammu and Kashmir, Jaishankar hit back saying, “I said they (Pakistan) have nothing to do with G20. I will also say that they have nothing to do with Srinagar. There is only one issue to discuss on Kashmir which is when does Pakistan vacate its illegal occupation of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.” On a question on abrogation of Article 370, the minister told Pakistan, “…wake up and smell the coffee. 370 is history. The sooner people realise it, the better it is.” “Jammu and Kashmir was, is, and will always be a part of India, and G20 meetings are held in all Indian states and Union Territories, so it is natural that it is being held Jammu and Kashmir, Jaishankar emphasised.