Jaishankar at SCO meet: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday chaired the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers' meeting in Goa. During the meeting, the member nations discuss several key issues including combating terrorism, preparations for the upcoming SCO Summit in India as well as the reform of the organisation.
Addressing the media following the meeting, Jaishankar minced no words in slamming Pakistan over the terrorism issue. He said that Pakistan's credibility is depleting faster than even its Forex reserves as far as the matter of terrorism is concerned.
Jaishankar's hard-hitting words on Pakistan
"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 added. Notably, Jaishankar's remarks came on a day when five Indian Army soldiers were martyred during a gunfight with militants in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri.
In his remarks earlier in the day, Bilawal Bhutto said terrorism should not be "weaponised" for diplomatic point scoring. "Let's not get caught up in weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring," he added.
Hitting out at Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's 'weaponising terrorism" remarks, Jaishankar said, "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 meeting.
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Jaishankar on cross-border terrorism
Ruling out bilateral talks till Pakistan addresses India's concerns on cross-border terrorism, Jaishankar said 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," Jaishankar said on a question on India-Pakistan ties, including a question from a Pakistani journalist.
The minister said as Foreign Minister of an SCO member state, Bhutto Zardari was treated accordingly. "He came here as the Foreign Minister of an SCO Member State. That is part of multilateral diplomacy. Don't see it as anything more than that. I think that nothing from what he said or what I heard he said deserves for this to be treated more than that," Jaishankar said.
Jaishankar's opening remarks
In his opening remarks at the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Goa on Friday, S Jaishankar expressed concern at terrorism including cross-border terrorism. India has consistently raised the issue of Pakistan's continued support to cross-border terrorism and terrorist infiltration. It has said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have borne the brunt of this terrorism campaign for decades and continue to do so.
About Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
It is worth mentioning here that Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was formed in 2001. Its members include India, Russia, China, Pakistan, and four central Asian countries - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017. India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping, which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region. The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations.
(With ANI inputs)
