SCO Summit: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday criticized his country’s foreign minister for his “inability” to give a “befitting reply” to his Indian counterpart during the recently concluded SCO summit in Goa.
Earlier, during the summit of Foreign Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar had accused his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari of ‘weaponizing terrorism’.
Expressing his concern over the global humiliation, Khan said that Bhutto should have presented Pakistan more decisively and that she should have prepared better before coming to India. According to Khan, Bhutto must have consulted him before marching for the SCO summit.
Pakistani English daily Dawn quoted Khan as saying during a public rally in Lahore, “Had Bilawal asked anyone before leaving for India?” “Bilawal should have gone with better preparation,” he said.
Notably, Khan’s critical remarks came after Jaishankar had called Bhutto “the originator, justifyer and spokesperson of the terrorism industry”.
Jaishankar’s tough stance on Pakistan sponsored terrorism
Jaishankar underlined that the victims of terrorism and the perpetrators of terrorism cannot sit together to discuss terrorism on the global stage. Jaishankar clarified, “Victims of terrorism do not sit with its perpetrators to discuss terrorism. Bhutto Zardari came as foreign minister of an SCO member state; this is part of multilateral diplomacy and we see nothing more Are.”
“On terrorism, Pakistan’s credibility is falling faster than its foreign exchange reserves,” said the top Indian minister.
India should have behaved better: Imran
Expressing regret over Jaishankar’s words, the former Pakistan PM said the Indian side should have “behaved well” with its neighboring country. He said that even the most powerful nation is not immune to change, adding that Pakistan is facing difficult times at present, but the establishment of the rule of law will bring the country back to life, the Express Tribune reported. Will be able to stand up and progress.
Significantly, India hosted the two-day event in Goa, which was attended by foreign ministers of SCO countries, including Chinese Qin Gang and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.