NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday sharply responded to a Pakistani journalist who questioned him over alleged Indian sponsorship of terrorism in Pakistan.
"A terrorist country is asking me that question. Come on," Jaishankar said in a strong response to the question by the Pakistani journalist.
The exchange took place at the UN headquarters after Jaishankar and Liberia’s Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti addressed the press on the newly launched 'Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers'.
As the ministers concluded their remarks, the Pakistani journalist stood up and questioned Jaishankar: “When will your government stop sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan?”. Jaishankar responded briefly: “A terrorist country is asking me that question. Come on.”
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, P Harish, then told the journalist: “You have heard your reply. You have heard your response, loud and clear.”
The exchange came a day after an Indian journalist posed a similar question to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as he entered the UN building. The journalist asked Sharif: “When will you stop harbouring terrorists?”
Jaishankar’s response came during his visit to the UN for the 81st General Assembly, where India and Liberia announced the maritime-focused Group of Friends amid concerns over attacks on commercial shipping and risks faced by seafarers.
The brief confrontation between the Indian minister and the Pakistani journalist was separate from the substantive maritime discussions at the press briefing.