- Says India is being ruled by a terrorist party
Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif termed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “terrorist, who has the blood of Muslims on his hands.”
Asif, who was speaking in a talk-show on Geo News, made this statement in an attempt to rebut India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who recently ripped into Pakistan at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) accusing the country of “supporting and exporting terror”.
“Sushma Swaraj has accused us (Pakistan) of exporting terrorism. (However) one terrorist (in India) is the country’s prime minister himself. He (Modi) has the blood of Muslims murdered in Gujarat on his hands,” Asif made the statement.
India is being “ruled by a terrorist party—the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh),” Asif further said.
“The nation that elects a terrorist… what kind of nation is that,” Asif asked.
He added: “Look at the language the Indian prime minister is using, the way Muslims are being killed over cow-related issues. And just recently, on Dussehra, they burnt the effigies of Rohingya Muslims four times.”
“The biggest terrorist [is Modi]. Muslims were raped and murdered under his supervision when he was chief minister [of Gujarat]. The US had banned him,” he said.
The foreign minister, who was sent a defamation notice by JuD chief Hafiz Saeed last week, told the channel that Saeed was not among those who had visited the White House.
He added that although “Imran Khan had the same stance a few years ago, now that I have said the same thing, he is criticising me.”
“The National Action Plan was made to clean up our own house; I have said the same thing. It was agreed upon by all parties and the nation,” he asserted.
Regarding Nawaz Sharif’s re-election as PML-N president, he said, “Our political interests are not personal but in sync with the democratic system and the interests of our 15 million voters.”
“Nawaz Sharif’s personality is the axis of the party” and him being elected thrice as the prime minister means the vote bank belongs to Sharif, Asif elaborated.
“There is no other leader of his stature in the party,” Asif said, adding that it was the party’s right to elect whoever they wanted to elect as their leader.
“A clash of institutions will damage Pakistan,” he said, suggesting all issues could be resolved if everyone left their personal and institutional ego behind to talk about “Pakistan’s ego”.
‘PAKISTAN ACHIEVED MANY VICTORIES IN WAR AGAINST TERRORISM’
Asif also said Pakistan Armed forces had achieved many successes in the war against terrorism.
The military operations launched during the period of present government remained successful, he added.
He said the National Action Plan (NAP) was made to wipe out terrorists from the country.
To a question regarding his upcoming visit to the United States, the foreign minister said Pakistan would clear its position in the meeting.
The foreign minister said that he is set to visit the US, where he will meet Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and National Security Adviser Gen H.R. McMaster.
Asif said that a scheduled meeting with US leadership had been postponed after President Donald Trump’s Afghan policy statement, but US officials extended another invitation to him during meetings on the sidelines of the UN Security Council.
“I wanted to get a fresh mandate” which is why the matter was discussed in a detailed National Security Council meeting ahead of the US visit, Asif explained.
The foreign minister dismissed media reports claiming Afghanistan had asked for Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav in exchange of the Army Public School attack mastermind, claiming that they were based on hearsay.