Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Dec 16: even as India lodged official protests against the Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto’s “uncivilised” personal attack on the prime minister Narendra Modi calling it a “new low even for Pakistan,” thousands of BJP workers staged protest demonstrations in front of the Pakistani high commission in Delhi demanding an apology from the neighbouring country.
Bhutto’s outbursts came in the United Nations after the external affairs minister S Jaishankar branded Pakistan the “epicentre of terrorism” and called for halt of the “Make in Pakistan Terrorism” asserting that the international community has not forgotten where the menace stems from, despite the brain fog induced by over two years of Covid-19.
In a highly objectionable comment on Thursday, Bilawal Bhutto had said: “Osama bin Laden is dead, but the butcher of Gujarat lives and he is the Prime Minister of India.” His obvious reference was to 2002 Gujarat riots in which over 1,000 people were killed in three-day mayhem after a train coach carrying pilgrims was burnt in Godhra, killing 59 people. PM Modi has been cleared of any wrongdoing by investigations into the riots. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court rejected an appeal against his exoneration in one of the cases linked to the killings.
Blasting Bhutto over the personal attack on Modi, New Delhi said Pakistan lacked the credentials to cast aspersions on India and must stop spreading terrorism across the world. “These comments are a new low, even for Pakistan. The Foreign Minister of Pakistan has obviously forgotten this day in 1971, which was a direct result of the genocide unleashed by Pakistani rulers against ethnic Bengalis and Hindus. Unfortunately, Pakistan does not seem to have changed much in the treatment of its minorities. It certainly lacks credentials to cast aspersions at India,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The Pakistan Foreign Minister’s “uncivilised outburst” seemed to be a result of Pakistan’s “increasing inability to use terrorists and their proxies,” said the ministry. “Cities like New York, Mumbai, Pulwama, Pathankot and London are among the many that bear the scars of Pakistan-sponsored, supported and instigated terrorism. This violence has emanated from their Special Terrorist Zones and exported to all parts of the world. ‘Make in Pakistan’ terrorism has to stop.”
India said Pakistan was a country that glorifies Osama bin Laden as a martyr, and shelters terrorists like Lakhvi, Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar, Sajid Mir and Dawood Ibrahim. “No other country can boast having 126 UN-designated terrorists and 27 UN-designated terrorist entities,” said the statement.
“We wish that Pakistan Foreign Minister would have listened more sincerely yesterday at the UN Security Council to the testimony of Ms. Anjali Kulthe, a Mumbai nurse who saved the lives of 20 pregnant women from the bullets of the Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab. Clearly, the Foreign Minister was more interested in whitewashing Pakistan’s role. Pakistan FM’s frustration would be better directed towards the masterminds of terrorist enterprises in his own country, who have made terrorism a part of their State policy. Pakistan needs to change its own mindset or remain a pariah,” the government said.
Union ministers also condemned the comments, calling Bilawal Bhutto “mentally bankrupt and irresponsible.” “The language used by the Foreign Minister of Pakistan shows that not only does he represent a bankrupt country, he is also mentally bankrupt,” said Meenakshi Lekhi, junior Foreign Minister. “He is the representative of a failed state and is himself failed, so Pakistan is also failed. What can you expect from those who have a terror mindset?” she added.
Anurag Thakur, the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, called the comments “nefarious and shameful.” “Maybe they (Pakistan) still feels the pain of 1971. More than 93,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered before India that day. His grandfather (Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, former Pakistan President) wept when they lost,” Anurag Thakur told reporters. “Pakistan’s soil has been used to groom, shield and protect terrorism. Their nefarious plans have been exposed to the world,” Mr Thakur said.
Mr Jaishankar while addressing reporters at the UN Security Council stakeout after charing a signature event held under India’s presidency of the Council on ‘Global Counterterrorism Approach: Challenges and Way Forward, had said “In terms of what they are saying, the truth is everybody, the world today, sees them as the epicentre of terrorism,” he said.
“I know we’ve been through two and a half years of Covid and a lot of us have brain fog as a result. But I assure you the world has not forgotten where terrorism emanates from, who has their fingerprints over a lot of activities in the region and beyond the region. Mr Jaishankar was responding to a question on Pakistan Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar’s recent allegation that “no country had used terrorism better than India.”
He invoked the former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who at a joint news conference in 2011 with then Pakistan Foreign Minister Khar had said: “You can’t keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbours.” “I read the reports on what Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said. And I was reminded, more than a decade ago, my memory serves me right, Hillary Clinton was visiting Pakistan. And Hina Rabbani Khar was a minister at that time. Standing next to her, Hillary Clinton actually said that if you have snakes in your backyard, you can’t expect them to bite only your neighbours. Eventually, they will bite the people who keep them in the backyard. But as you know, Pakistan is not great on taking good advice. You see what’s happening there,” he said.
Pakistan should clean up its act and try to be a good neighbour, Mr Jaishankar said as he underlined that the world is not “stupid” and is increasingly calling out countries, organisations and people who indulge in terrorism. “You know, you’re asking the wrong Minister when you say how long will we do this? Because it is the Ministers of Pakistan who will tell you how long Pakistan intends to practice terrorism,” Jaishankar said.
He was responding to a question by a Pakistani journalist on how long South Asia is going to see terrorism disseminating from New Delhi, Kabul, and Pakistan. “At the end of the day, the world is not stupid, the world is not forgetful. And the world does increasingly call out countries and organisations and people who indulge in terrorism,” he said.
“By taking that debate elsewhere, you are not going to hide it. You’re not going to confuse anybody anymore. People have figured it out. So my advice is please clean up your act. Please try to be a good neighbour. “Please try and contribute to what the rest of the world is trying to do today, which is economic growth, and progress and development,” Mr Jaishankar said.
Scores of BJP leaders and workers staged a protest near Pakistan High Commission. The protesters also demanded an apology for Mr. Bhutto’s ‘insensible’ remarks. The protesters held BJP flags and placards some of which read: ‘Pakistan aukaat ma aao and Maafi mango’ (Pakistan stay in your limits and apologise) and ‘Pakistan hosh mein aayo’ (Wake up Pakistan).
Lashing out at Bhutto for his personal remark against Modi, a party leader said, “We condemn Bhutto’s remarks. How could he use such a language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He should always remember that his grandfather begged India for forgiveness. “Pakistan should be thrown out of the United Nations for attacking the Indian leader. They harbour terrorists,” said a party leader.
Another leader said Bhutto should not have used such words for Indian leaders. “We won’t tolerate such insensible statement against our leader. Pakistan should apologise,” said Tahir Khan.
