India-Pak face-off over terrorism, J&K at SCO FM meet, Jaishankar calls Bilawal promoter of terror industry

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday called his visiting Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari a “promoter, justifier and a spokesperson” of the terrorism industry, in probably one of his sharpest attack on Pakistan over terrorism.

“As a Foreign Minister of an SCO member state, Mr Bhutto Zardari was treated accordingly. As a promoter, justifier and a 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”, Jaishankar said after the meeting of Fforiegn Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Goa on Friday.

When asked about whether there could be talks between both the nations on ways to tackle terrorism, Jaishankar said, “You know, victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism. The victims of terrorism, defend themselves, counter acts of terrorism, they call it out, they delegitimise it and 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. And you know, I don’t want to jump the gun on what happened today (referring to the attack in J&K in which 5 soldiers were killed) but I think we are all feeling equally outraged. Let’s be very, very clear on this terrorism matter. I will say Pakistan’s credibility is depleting even faster than its forex reserves,” he said.

On Bhutto Zardari’s comment that “let’s not get caught up in weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point-scoring”, Jaishankar said it “unconsciously reveals a mindset”.

“What does weaponising something mean? …It means that the activity is legitimate. But it’s not. Now what are we doing? We are countering this, we are defending ourselves. We are calling it out. We are not scoring diplomatic points. We are politically and diplomatically exposing Pakistan before the world,” he said.

Responding to questions on Pakistan raising objections to India hosting G20 meetings in Srinagar, he said, “They have nothing to do with G20. In fact, they have nothing to do with Kashmir. There is only one issue to discuss on Kashmir which is when does Pakistan vacate its illegal occupation of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.”

Jaishankar asserted that Jammu and Kashmir “was, is and will” always be part of India.

The external affairs minister said Bhutto Zardari came to India as foreign minister of an SCO member state and it is part of multilateral diplomacy. “Do not see it as anything more than that,” he said in response to a question by a Pakistani journalist whether the visit of the Pakistan Foreign Minister could be seen as a “breakthrough” in ties.

After Bhutto Zardari addressed a press conference around 5 pm, visiting Pakistani journalists were present but the Indian media was kept out. Jaishankar briefed journalists, including Pakistan’s journalists and took a question from one of them, around 6.30 pm, and countered the Pakistan Foreign Minister’s statements with carefully-crafted responses.

Jaishankar took on Bhutto Zardari after the latter then sought to play the victim card by pointing a finger at India, and raised the issues of the revocation of Article 370, and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

On the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Jaishankar said it was made very clear that connectivity is good for progress, but it cannot violate the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states.

On the issue of revocation of Article 370 in J&K, the Indian foreign minister said, “Wake up and smell the coffee. Article 370 is history.”

On the Pakistan Foreign Minister’s statement that “peace is the destiny”, Jaishankar said, “Whether peace is destiny or not, terrorism is not destiny.”

Earlier, Bhutto Zardari said that people of Pakistan had suffered from terrorism, and cited the example of his mother being a victim of a terror attack – former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated. He had also said that CPEC was a force multiplier for the region in the context of connectivity.

Jaishankar said that this “so-called CPEC” violated India’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Speaking of the “trust deficit” between the two countries, Bhutto Zardari said there was nothing personal with Jaishankar, and both were articulating their positions as Foreign Ministers. “He put forward his views, I put forward mine…There is nothing personal in politics and diplomacy,” he said.

He also said that “sports should not be held hostage to politics or diplomacy”, and “it will be petty for India to not allow Pakistan’s cricket team” for the World Cup in India.