Jaishankar’s scathing words for Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

“They are committing acts of terrorism.” Pakistan Foreign Minister’s Goa visit was eclipsed by two terror attacks in J&K. Jaishankar responded…

Transcript

00:00Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism.

00:05Let's not get caught up in weaponizing terrorism for diplomatic points scoring.

00:11Pakistan's credibility is depleting even faster than its forex reserves.

00:30Hello, my name is Muneeza Jahangir, I am from Pakistan from Aaj TV and my question

00:52to you over here is that the foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari made a bold move by

00:57coming here and it is being seen as a breakthrough, he is also being criticized but how do you

01:03India see it, do you see it as a breakthrough and what will be your road map in the future

01:09to resumption of at least diplomatic ties with Pakistan?

01:13First of all let me say this, as a foreign minister of an SCO member state, Mr. Bhutto

01:22Zardari was treated accordingly.

01:27As a promoter, justifier and I am sorry to say spokesperson of a terrorism industry which

01:38is the mainstay of Pakistan, his positions were called out and they were countered including

01:45at the SCO meeting itself.

01:47So, let me come to the specifics on the China-Pakistan economic corridor, the so-called corridor.

02:00I think it was made very clear not once but twice in the SCO meeting that connectivity

02:10is good for progress but connectivity cannot violate the territorial integrity and sovereignty

02:16of states.

02:17So, this has been a long-standing position, nobody should have any doubt about it and

02:23I assure you those who are in the room today had no doubt about it.

02:27I made sure of that.

02:28I don't think there is a G20 issue to debate with anybody, certainly not with a country

02:33which is nothing to do with the G20.

02:38Jammu and Kashmir was, is, will always be a part of India and the G20 meetings are held

02:48in all the Indian states and Union Territory, so it is completely natural that it is held

02:54there.

02:55Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism.

03:01Victims of terrorism defend themselves, counter acts of terrorism, they call it out, they

03:06delegitimize it and that is exactly what is happening.

03:09So, to come here and preach these hypocritical words as though we are on the same boat, I

03:18mean, they are, they are committing acts of terrorism and, you know, I don't want to jump

03:25the gun on what happened today but I think we are all feeling equally outraged.

03:30So, so I, I think, I mean, let's, let's be very, very clear on this.

03:37You know, on this matter, the terrorism matter, I mean, I, I would say Pakistan's credibility

03:46is depleting even faster than its forex reserves.

03:49Is this a breakthrough?

03:51Look, he came here as a member, a foreign minister of an SCO member state, that is part

03:57of multilateral diplomacy.

04:00Don't, please do not see it as anything more than that.

04:04It was not meant as anything more than that.

04:06It was not treated as anything more than that.

04:09And I think nothing that, from what he said or what I heard he said, deserves for this

04:16to be treated more than that.