Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi also says PM Imran Khan bowled a googly at India to send 2 ministers to Kartarpur.
New Delhi: Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has poked fun at his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj in diplomatically risqué comments that are likely to rile New Delhi.
“I don’t know what happened, while I can’t say that Sushma ji felt shy at this age, it seems Indian politics had come in between,” Qureshi said Thursday evening, referring to his cancelled meeting with Swaraj in New York in September.
India had
cancelled a proposed meeting between the two ministers on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly after the brutal killing of policemen in Jammu and Kashmir and the release of a postage stamp by Pakistan that glorified Kashmiri militant commander Burhan Wani.
The proposed meeting was seen as an indication of the thaw in relations between the arch rivals after the election of Imran Khan as Pakistan’s prime minister. But it was cancelled a day after it was announced.
Qureshi’s comment Thursday came at an event held to mark the 100 days in power of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. He was speaking about the achievements of his ministry during this period.
Also read: Don’t get breathless over Kartarpur, Imran Khan has no power to wage war or peace
Qureshi also said that Pakistan’s “measured”, “mature” and “persistent” attempts to engage India in talks to improve relations was repeatedly rejected by New Delhi. So, Khan delivered a “googly” to ensure the presence of two Indian ministers at the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Kartarpur Corridor.
“Imran Khan bowled the Kartarpur googly at India and as a result, India, which was hesitating to engage with Pakistan, sent two ministers to Pakistan for the ceremony, and they engaged with us,” he said, as Khan listened to the speech from the first row in the audience.
“We are happy that they came, because our message is of peace,” Qureshi added.
While Khan has renewed his proposal for India-Pakistan talks, Swaraj responded Wednesday saying there could be no engagement with Islamabad until it put an end to cross-border terrorism.
Swaraj was invited to attend the Kartarpur corridor ceremony but stayed away citing prior commitments.
https://theprint.in/diplomacy/cant-...n-foreign-minister-on-cancelled-talks/156762/
