Imran Khan blasts Bilawal for his India trip, calls it humiliation for Pakistan

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has criticised Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari after the latter visited India for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) council meet. Zardari was schooled by India's External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and Khan did not let go of the opportunity to remind him about the 'humiliation'.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Imran was addressing a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) rally when he attacked Zardari. Notably, starting next week, Khan and his party would hold rallies every day till May 14 inthe run-up tothe Punjab assembly elections.

“Pakistan is being humiliated in the world. How the Indian foreign minister’s behaviour was when Bilawal went to India is a basis for shame for all of us," said Khan.

"We ask the question, Bilawal you are touring the entire world but first tell that before going do you ask anyone that you’re spending the country’s money on a trip so what will be the benefit or loss from it?” he added.

The PTI chief questioned what was the benefit of Zardari's trip to India, especially after the kind of language used by the Indian EAM.

ALSO WATCH |SCO meet | S Jaishankar on Pakistan: Victims of terrorism do not sit with perpetrators of terrorism

×

Jaishankar's stern remarks on Pakistan

During the meeting, Jaishankar drew the line that no talks with Pakistan will take place until it continues to be a safe space for terrorists and terror organisations.

“We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism," he said without naming Pakistan.

After Zardari said, "Let's not get caught up in weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring", Jaishankar countered him by saying "No one was scoring diplomatic points".

"The weaponisation. It's a very interesting statement because it unconsciously reveals a mindset. What does weaponising something mean? It means that the activity is legitimate and somebody is weaponising it. So you say you are weaponising trade, you are weaponising technology. Somebody says you are weaponising terrorism, which means they think terrorism is legitimate, and that we should not weaponise it. That is normal."

"He [Zardari] 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," added Jaishankar.

ALSO READ | Shown mirror by Jaishankar, Bilawal says India ‘propagating false narrative’ on terrorism

Notably, after reaching Pakistan, Zardari termed his visit'successful' whilst adding that India was propagating 'a false narrative' on terrorism.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE: