On a day when five Indian soldiers were killed in a terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir's Rajouri district, Jaishankar minced no words, saying India will counter and delegitimise cross-border terrorism and call out Pakistan's backing for it. He also lashed out at Bhutto Zardari's efforts at the meeting of SCO foreign ministers to link resumption of dialogue with restoration of Jammu & Kashmir's special status, saying the only issue up for discussion would be Islamabad vacating Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (Pok).
"As a foreign minister of an SCO member state, Mr Bhutto Zardari was treated accordingly. As a promoter, justifier, and I'm sorry to say, 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," an aggressive Jaishankar told a news conference at the conclusion of the multilateral meet.
Victims and perpetrators of terror don't sit together to discuss the issue, Jaishankar said while asserting India's right to defend, counter, call out and delegitimise acts of terrorism. "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," he said.
While noting that he didn't want to jump the gun on the death of five soldiers in an explosion at Rajouri on Friday, Jaishankar said Pakistan's credibility in the context of terrorism is "depleting even faster than its forex reserves".
Jaishankar rubbished Bhutto Zardari's remarks at the news conference criticising the holding of a G20 meeting in Srinagar and the abrogation of Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu & Kashmir, and said Pakistan has no locus standi on these matters.
"There is only one issue to discuss on Kashmir, which is when does Pakistan vacate its illegal occupation of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir," he said.
This story is from the May 06, 2023 edition of Hindustan Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 06, 2023 edition of Hindustan Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Palestinian PM Resigns Citing 'New Reality' Of War In Gaza
The United States and other powers have called for a reformed Palestinian Authority to take charge of all Palestinian territories after the end of war
Future Perfect: The Kids Are All Right
Gill and Jurel hold out promise by simplifying a challenging chase to help India seal series
Akshay feels 'blessed' to have worked with OG Ramayan cast
Director Akshay K Agarwal shot a music video, Humare Ram Aaye Hai, with the cast of the 1987 TV show, Ramayanactors Arun Govil, Dipika Chikhlia and Sunil Lahri - in Ayodhya recently.
Musk's firm gets nod for Sat Net; joins Jio, Bharti
Starlink, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has been allowed to offer satellite broadband services in India, two officials aware of the development said.
A temple, 169 years in the making
Through decades of design and reworks, hurdles in engineering and construction, HT pieces together how the grandeur of the Ram Temple was reclaimed
'Political interference' forces Vihari to quit Andhra cricket
After Andhra bowed out of the Ranji Trophy at the quarter-final stage with a four-run defeat to Madhya Pradesh in Indore on Monday, senior batter Hanuma Vihari launched a scathing attack on the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA), saying he will never turn up for the state again.
Shafali, Kapp lead Capitals to a 9-wicket win over Warriorz
A blazing fifty by Shafali Verma (64₹, 43 balls) helped Delhi Capitals make a mockery of a target of 120 and open their account in the second edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL).
Making 'unbelievable things believable', the Ayhika way
The India No. 7 was an inspired pick for the world team event and she repaid the faith, beating the Chinese world No.1
'Connected TVs to reach 45 mn by 2024-end in India'
With improvement in broadband penetration, Indian households are increasingly opting for connected or addressable TVs.
India chip strategy makes progress as $21 billion in proposals received
The Indian government, after years of watching from the sidelines of the chips race, now has to evaluate $21 billion of semiconductor proposals and divvy up taxpayer support between foreign chipmakers, local champions or some combination of the two.
