Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday dismissed PML-N leader Ayaz Sadiq’s statement over the circumstances in which Indian captured pilot Abhinandan Varthaman was released, saying that “responsible people are making irresponsible statements.”
Qureshi said he had not expected the former National Assembly speaker (Sadiq) to say that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was let go by Pakistan under pressure, adding that the comments made by him were “contrary to the truth”.
He said the government had taken all parliamentary leaders into confidence regarding the intelligence reports it had received, but the captured Indian pilot was not mentioned in that meeting. “Highly irresponsible statements are being issued for political gains; responsible people are talking irresponsibly, which is surprising,” the foreign minister said.
Qureshi also slammed the Opposition for its stance on Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav, advising them to read the judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the case as well as Pakistan’s stance on the matter. The Opposition has attempted to create controversy over an ordinance passed by the government in order to comply with the ICJ’s ruling in the Kulbhushan case, describing it as a move to give the Indian spy amnesty.
The foreign minister said that Pakistan simply did not want to give India another opportunity to take the country to the ICJ. “These people are misleading the nation on the issues of Kulbhushan and Abhinandan,” said the foreign minister. He added that the release of the captured Indian pilot was being made controversial without any reason and simply for political purposes.
The foreign minister was reacting to statements made by senior PML-N parliamentarians on the floor of the National Assembly on Wednesday. Two senior PML-N lawmakers had shared details of a meeting during which the release of Indian pilot Abhinandan had been agreed upon, alleging that the government took the decision under pressure. “Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was present in the meeting, which Imran Khan had refused to attend,” former speaker Ayaz Sadiq said.
