India-Pakistan tensions flare up over terrorism at Shanghai Co-op meeting

Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar referred to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as the “promoter, justifier, and spokesperson of a terrorism industry” in a statement during the SCO meeting in Goa, On Friday, May 5.

Jaishankar’s Position

Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar criticized Pakistan on Friday for encouraging cross-border terrorism, claiming that “victims of terrorism do not sit together with its perpetrators to discuss terrorism.”

#Shocking Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was treated accordingly. As a promoter, justifier and spokesperson of a terrorism. Indian EAM Jaishankar's controversial Remarks at the End of #SCOSummit . After these remarks, will PM Shehbaz Sharif go to #India in July ? https://t.co/PlW9ywadhJ pic.twitter.com/BYdEp3GKDr

— Ghulam Abbas Shah (@ghulamabbasshah) May 5, 2023

His Pakistani counterpart, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, was also the target of a scathing attack in which he was described as a “promoter, justifier, and spokesperson of the terrorism industry, which is the mainstay of Pakistan.”

After a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s foreign ministers in Goa, Jaishankar told reporters: “They (Pakistan) are committing acts of terrorism… Pakistan’s credibility is depleting faster than its foreign exchange reserves.”

#WATCH | EAM Dr S Jaishankar welcomes Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for the Meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers in Goa pic.twitter.com/TVe0gzml1U

— ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023

Jaishankar criticized Bhutto Zardari for bringing up the repeal of Article 370 during the conference, which granted J&K special status.

According to reports of The Economic Times regarding Pakistan’s opposition to the G20 summit in J&K, Jaishankar said that the nation has no connection to either Srinagar or the conference.

Bhutto’s Take On The Meeting

In response to a query on negotiations with India, Bhutto-Zardari stated that Pakistan was clear that India should foster negotiations by reestablishing Kashmir’s pre-August 5, 2019 status.

He also said that Central Asian nations were eager to join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Except for India, he claimed, every nation backed and lauded the CPEC. Earlier, Bhutto-Zardari returned to Pakistan aboard a special Pakistan Air Force jet from India, landed in Karachi, and was greeted by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and other cabinet members.