FO terms association of FM's remarks on G20 meeting with threat of violence 'highly irresponsible'

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Sunday termed the reports associating Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari's remarks on the G20 meeting in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) with threat to India "highly irresponsible and mischievous".

The statement comes in response to media queries regarding a video clip implying that the foreign minister had threatened India in relation to the G20 meeting, scheduled to be held later this month.

"Any insinuation, associating foreign minister’s remarks with a threat of violence, is not only mischievous but highly irresponsible. It is an attempt to shift focus from the foreign minister's key message of conflict resolution through dialogue and in accordance with international law and UN security council resolutions," the statement read.

The Foreign Office also urged the media outlets to respect journalistic norms while reporting on sensitive inter-state matters.

“In a number of public pronouncements during his recent visit to India, the foreign minister emphasised the critical importance of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions for a peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. Clearly, he based his case on international law," the statement said.

It added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already articulated Pakistan’s position on the G20 Tourism Working Group meeting in the IIOJK in its press release dated April 11, 2023.

FM Bilawal, who attended a two-day moot of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) India's coastal city of Goa, stole all the limelight as the entire Indian media was focused on him. It was his maiden visit to India as the FM and first visit of a top diplomat in nearly 12 years.