Tag: S Jaishankar

  • SCO Summit: Why was Indian FM’s speech muted on Pakistani TV?

    SCO Summit: Why was Indian FM’s speech muted on Pakistani TV?

    With a muted video of Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar’s address at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) going viral, netizens, especially Indians, have taken to social media, calling out Pakistan for “muting” the Indian representative’s speech.

    A social media user on X (formerly Twitter) named A Waheed Murad wrote, “State TV in Pakistan muted the address of the Indian Foreign Minister at the SCO summit in Islamabad.”

    While Murad wasn’t the only one to highlight the muted video, Journalist Iftikhar Firdous also took to X to explain that all in-camera sessions were bound to be muted on PTV and the same goes for SCO.

    “It’s an in-camera session. I haven’t heard any of the speeches on TV, even the Pakistani premier is live and it’s muted. I also inquired why I couldn’t hear them”, he wrote on X (formerly Twitter)

    Meanwhile, Information Ministry also stated that according to standard operating procedure (SOPs), except for the SCO initial ceremony, all addresses were bound to mute.

    Islamabad and New Delhi, in their national statements, have avoided taking indirect jabs at each other through the SCO platform.

    “While the international community must extend the needed assistance to help Afghan Interim Government in staving off the humanitarian crisis and preventing an economic meltdown, it must also demand from the Afghan Interim Government to take concrete measures to promote political inclusivity, as well as to ensure that its soil is not used for terrorism against its neighbours, by any entity,” maintained PM Shehbaz Sharif during his address at SCO.

    “Projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and International North-South Corridor (INSC) can be expanded to improve connectivity, focusing on roads, railways, and digital infrastructure,” he said.

    Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, while addressing the SCO summit, congratulated Pakistan for hosting such a high political union of countries. “We must respect each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and this cooperation should be based on genuine partnership, not unilateral agendas,” he asserted.

    According to Pakistan’s Foreign Minister M. Ishaq Dar, the last time Pakistan hosted a diplomatic event of this magnitude was 27 years ago, marking what he called the country’s “return to the international stage.”

    In 1997, Pakistan held the first Extraordinary Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to celebrate its 50th year of independence.

    The SCO bloc claims to represent 40% of the world’s population and about 30% of its GDP.

    Previously, Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Monday arrived in Pakistan to attend the SCO meeting, as well as for a four-day bilateral visit. His visit is the first by a Chinese head of government to Pakistan in 11 years, Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Office said.

  • Rare show of unity as PTI calls out Indian FM for remarks about Bilawal

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders on Twitter strongly called out Indian Foreign Minister (FM) S. Jaishankar after he used undiplomatic language for Pakistan and its FM Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari post an important moot of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

    In a media conference, a visibly rattled Jaishankar called Bilawal a “promoter, justifier and spokesperson of a terrorism industry.”

    “Victims of terrorism do not sit together with its perpetrators to discuss terrorism,” he said, adding that “as a member of SCO, Bilawal was treated accordingly.”

    PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry put aside political differences to respond that the Indian FM should be ashamed for passing such remarks.

    “Pakistan has made great sacrifices in the war against terrorism, now the foreign minister of a Hindu extremist group, who is involved in the worst terrorism against its own citizens, should be ashamed of himself for speaking such nonsense.”

    Similarly, Zulfi Bukhari called this a petty act and reminded India of its values.

    He pointed out, “Whatever happened to mehman bhagwan hota hai? Or has that idea gone down the drain just like a secular India.”

    When Bilawal returned back to the country, he held a press conference to brief members of the media about his visit. He also responded to the remarks made by India’s FM, saying that he can’t do anything if their hatred has risen this much.

    Asking if he ever sat with any terrorist, Bilawal was of the view that India not only wants to declare every Muslim a terrorist but also him.

    The minister added that Pakistan itself is a victim of terrorism and is against any appeasement with terrorist organisations.

  • ‘Of course’: Bilawal confirms he shook hands with Indian FM but no bilateral engagement held

    ‘Of course’: Bilawal confirms he shook hands with Indian FM but no bilateral engagement held

    Pakistani Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who just wrapped up his visit to Goa, said that he did shake hands with his Indian counter partner S. Jaishankar at a dinner that was held in an unofficial capacity.

    During an interview with India Today, Bilawal said, “In all our unofficial engagements we always shake hands and we had dinner conversations amongst other foreign ministers but we did not hold a bilateral engagement.”

    Earlier, when both ministers greeted each other in front of the media they didn’t shake hands and this created headlines in India.

    Clearing up the confusion, Bilawal said that his aim to visit India was to attend Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). “Unless India reviews the action it took on August 5, 2019 (abrogation of Article 370), Pakistan is not in a position to engage bilaterally with India.”

    When pointed out by a journalist that “Pakistan can’t sponsor terror directed against India”, the minister, taking a jibe at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said “This wolf whistling around the word terrorism which is ultimately an Islamophobic wolf whistle not only to whip up Hindu sentiment in India but also to brow beat Pakistan, that might be election strategy for some but not effective terrorism strategy”

    The Pakistani foreign minister said the country wishes to quell terrorism “not because India said it or the Indian government said so, but because we want to end this menace”. He said terrorism has caused the “largest number of casualties” in Pakistan among any of the other SCO countries.

    “India will have to explain what Kulbhushan Jadhav, a state actor, a navy commander, was doing in Pakistan carrying out terrorist attacks on Pakistani soil. Does that not come under cross-border terrorism?” he asked.

    Bilawal also reminded Indian Journalist Rajdeep Sardesai that Pakistan is the only country on Earth that has completed two Financial Action Task Force (FATF) objectives.

    He said that it is not productive for India to continue accusing Pakistan of sponsoring terror activities.

    Pointing out that India violated bilateral agreements and international agreements on Aug 5, 2019, by revoking the special status of Jammu Kashmir, Bilawal Bhutto also mentioned the 2007 Samjhauta Express bombing where around 70 people, mostly Pakistanis, were killed. “We are yet to see any justice,” he reminded Sardesai.

    He repeatedly said that both India and Pakistan have different perspectives on terrorism, adding that Pakistan is “willing to engage with any concerns that India might have but India will also have to address our concerns.”