{"id":7502,"date":"2026-01-03T21:37:58","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T21:37:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsmakers.com.pk\/en\/?p=7502"},"modified":"2026-01-03T22:04:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T22:04:14","slug":"pakistan-rejects-indian-external-affairs-minister-jaishankars-remarks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsmakers.com.pk\/en\/pakistan\/pakistan-rejects-indian-external-affairs-minister-jaishankars-remarks\/7502\/","title":{"rendered":"Pakistan Rejects Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar\u2019s Remarks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sunday, 04 January 2025 | Web Desk<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Foreign Office (FO) on Saturday strongly rejected what it termed \u201cirresponsible assertions\u201d made by Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar, accusing New Delhi of attempting to divert attention from its own \u201ctroubling record as a neighbour that promotes terrorism and contributes to regional instability\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the FO statement did not directly reference specific remarks, it followed Indian media reports quoting Jaishankar as saying that India had the right to defend itself against terrorism while alluding to \u201cbad neighbours\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can also have bad neighbours \u2026 unfortunately, we do,\u201d Jaishankar was quoted as saying by The Hindu. Referring to Pakistan, he added: \u201cIf a country decides that they will deliberately, persistently, unrepentantly continue with terrorism, we have the right to defend our people against terrorism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jaishankar also addressed the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), a longstanding source of contention between the two countries, particularly following the April 22 attack on tourists in Pahalgam in occupied Kashmir \u2014 an incident India blamed on Pakistan without presenting evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany years ago we agreed to a water-sharing arrangement \u2014 the belief was it was a gesture of goodwill,\u201d he said. \u201cBut if you have decades of terrorism, there is no good neighbourliness, and you don\u2019t get the benefit of good neighbourliness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t say, \u2018Please share water with me,\u2019 while continuing terrorism \u2014 that\u2019s not reconcilable,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response, the Foreign Office said in its statement: \u201cPakistan firmly rejects the irresponsible assertions made by the Indian external affairs minister. Once again, India seeks to deflect attention from its own troubling record as a neighbour that promotes terrorism and contributes to regional instability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FO further stated that India\u2019s \u201cdocumented involvement in promoting terrorist activities in the region, particularly in Pakistan, is well known\u201d, citing the case of Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav as a \u201cstark example of organized, state-sponsored terrorism\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jadhav was arrested in Balochistan in March 2016 and later confessed to links with India\u2019s intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), and involvement in espionage and terrorist activities in Pakistan. He remains imprisoned in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement also raised concerns over what it described as \u201crecurring instances of extraterritorial killings, sabotage through proxies, and covert support to terrorist networks\u201d, calling this pattern consistent with \u201cthe extremist ideology of Hindutva and its violent proponents\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Kashmir, the FO said India continues its \u201cillegal and violent military occupation\u201d of Jammu and Kashmir, reiterating Pakistan\u2019s commitment to providing political, moral, and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people in their struggle for self-determination, in line with UN Security Council resolutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Addressing the Indus Waters Treaty, the FO emphasized that it is an international agreement concluded in good faith and at significant cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny unilateral violation of the treaty by India would undermine regional stability and call into question its credibility as a state that claims to respect international legal obligations,\u201d the statement warned, adding that Pakistan would take all necessary measures to protect its rights under the treaty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement comes days after National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and Jaishankar briefly shook hands in Dhaka on Wednesday during the funeral of former Bangladeshi prime minister Khaleda Zia \u2014 the first high-level contact between Pakistani and Indian officials since the military confrontation in May 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n