Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday hailed his visit to India as a “success”, saying he negated the “false propaganda” of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that every Muslim was a terrorist.
Bilawal made these remarks while addressing a press conference in Karachi upon his return to the country after concluding a two-day trip to India, where he spoke at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) moot.
“The BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (a Hindu nationalist group in India) have been trying to create this myth — they declare Muslims across the world terrorists, they declare Pakistanis terrorists,” Bilawal said, adding that his trip to the country broke this myth.
“I believe that when the son of Shaheed Mohatarma Benazir Bhutto sits before them, no matter how much they try to level such allegations, this is a reply enough for them,” he added.
Bilawal was also asked about Indian Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar’s comments about him, where the dignitary from New Delhi reacted to the PPP chairperson urging SCO members to refrain from “weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring”.
Jaishankar said Bilawal’s address “reveals the mindset of that country. His position was found out and called out.”
Responding to his Indian counterpart, Bilawal said: “I understand there is an insecurity behind this statement.”
He said that the reason for this insecurity was that a “false narrative, propaganda and lie” was being spread in India, particularly by the BJP.
“By going there and speaking and presenting our stance, we break that myth and propaganda.
“He believes that there is a "false narrative, propaganda, and lies" being spread in India, particularly by the BJP. He argued that by presenting Pakistan's stance and breaking that myth and propaganda, they can negate the false narrative and lies being spread.
Earlier during a press talk with journalists in India, Bilawal stressed that India must build a conducive environment for talks, and the onus is on them to do so. He maintained that the dialogue between the two countries was hurt by India's decision to end occupied Kashmir's special status.
He reiterated that Pakistan's principled position is that the status quo of August 4, 2019, must be reinstated. He added that India's actions had violated international law, United Nations resolutions, and bilateral agreements, and they had undermined the environment for talks.
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