FO rubbishes 'irresponsible remarks' by Indian General Bipin Rawat

The Foreign Office on Friday condemned the “irresponsible remarks” made by the newly appointed Indian Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat.

A statement issued by Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui on Friday said the remarks by the Indian general were reflective of the “extremist mindset and bankrupt thinking” that have taken over the Indian state institutions.

General Rawat in his remarks at the Raisina Dialogue 2020 had admitted that New Delhi was operating “de-radicalisation camps” and was actively seeking to put Pakistan on the black list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The Indian general had also called for the blacklisting and diplomatic isolation of Pakistan for allegedly sponsoring terrorism. “Any country that is sponsoring terrorism has to be taken to task. I feel blacklisting by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is one good measure. Diplomatic isolation, you have to do this,” Gen Rawat was quoted saying by The Print.

“As a perpetrator of unabated state-terrorism in the Indian occupied Kashmir, India is in no position to pontificate on the issue of terrorism,” the spokesperson said.

Farooqui added that General Rawat’s talk of “deradicalisation camps” for Kashmiri children was “simply despicable”. It reminded New Delhi that it cannot talk about such actions after turning Indian occupied Kashmir into “world’s largest prison camp with eight million Kashmiris incarcerated there since August 5, 2019”.

The spokesperson added that the Indian general’s remarks on FATF were further proof of India’s “repeated attempts to politicise FATF’s technical proceedings for advancing its narrow, partisan objectives”. It added that Islamabad has “consistently sensitised” the world about New Delhi’s “malicious campaign” and urged the FATF members to reject the “Indian machinations”.

“We also expect that the world community would take cognisance of the BJP Government’s desperate attempts to divert attention from the unacceptable situation in IoK, growing domestic protest against discriminatory laws and practices, and its unabashed animus towards India’s minorities,” said the FO. It also called for holding Indian accountable for its illegal actions.