Pakistani FM Bilawal Bhutto's First Reaction After India's 'Terror Justifier' Remark

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday said his visit to Goa was a "success" as he advocated his country's case on the soil of India. His remarks came hours after his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar accused him of being a "promoter, justifier and a spokesperson of a terror industry." 

Addressing a press conference after his return from Goa where he attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting, Bhutto Zardari said his trip to India was a 'success' as it helped to negate the view that every Muslim was a terrorist. "We made an attempt at breaking this myth," Bhutto-Zardari said.

Jaishankar mounted an offensive against Bhutto-Zardari in his address at the SCO meeting, contending Pakistan foreign minister's statement that terrorism shouldn't be "weaponised for diplomatic point-scoring", in remarks seen as directed at India. Hours later at a press conference, Jaishankar said Bhutto-Zardari's statement on the weaponisation of terrorism unconsciously revealed a mindset.

"As a foreign minister of an SCO member state, 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.

Responding to a question about talks with India, Bhutto-Zardari said that Pakistan was clear that India should create a conducive environment for talks by restoring the pre-August 5, 2019 status of Kashmir. He also said that countries from Central Asia were looking forward to becoming part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

He said every country except India supported and praised CPEC. Earlier, Bhutto-Zardari returned back on a special Pakistan Air Force plane from India and landed in Karachi where was received by the Sindh chief minister, Murad Ali Shah, and other cabinet members.