Opposition in both countries had latched onto Imran Khan's remarks.
Days after furore in India over a comment made by Imran Khan about how PM Modi's re-election can be good for Indo-Pak talks, now Pakistan Foreign Minister has cleared the air. Most opposition parties in India tried to corner PM Modi and BJP over Imran Khan's remarks.
They tried to project as if Narendra Modi has won an endorsement from Pakistan. However, Pakistan Foreign Minister Mahmood Qureshi has played down the remarks. He has dubbed it to be taken as out of context and accused the Indian media of sensationalisation. Qureshi also said that 'everyone knows' about Imran Khan's 'reservations' with Indian PM Narendra Modi.
Pakistan Foreign Minister gave the clarification to a standing committee of Senate. Elections in India kicked off on April 11 and wil continue till May 19. The results will be published on May 23.
India on February 27 handed over to Pakistan the dossier on "specific details" of involvement of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in the Pulwama terror attack on CRPF as also the presence of camps of the UN-proscribed terror outfit in the country.
The JeM had taken the responsibility of the terror strike in Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14, in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.
1. What did Imran Khan say?
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Khan had said "Perhaps if the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)....wins, some kind of settlement in Kashmir could be reached." Khan's statements were latched on to by the opposition in India to target Modi with the Congress party on Wednesday saying Pakistan has now "officially allied" with him and a vote for him would mean a vote for the neighbouring country.
2. Qureshi's clarification
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The foreign minister, addressing the Senate's Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs on Thursday, accused the Indian media of "sensationalising everything", the Dawn reported.
He said the premier's statement was "published out of context". He said that Prime Minister Khan's reservations regarding Modi "are on the record and everyone knows his (Khan's) opinion of him".
Qureshi said that only the Indian public will decide the winner and loser of the ongoing elections.
The Pakistani daily reported that Senators in Pakistan during a session of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs on Thursday criticised Prime Minister Khan's statement, saying Modi is a "danger to Pakistan".
"You (Qureshi) said that India is getting ready for an adventure, (then) why did the prime minister say that dialogue can only take place if Modi wins the Indian elections?" asked PPP Senator Sherry Rehman.
"A state has friendly relations with another state, not with a personality," she was quoted as saying.
3. Pulwama attack: Pak continues delaying tactics
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Pakistan on Thursday said that it has handed over more questions to India on its dossier on Jaish-e-Mohammed's involvement in the dastardly Pulwama attack and claimed that New Delhi has not provided any "actionable evidence" on the terror attack.
Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal during his media briefing said that the reply to previous questions was also not given by India so far.
Pakistan has handed over further questions to the Indian High Commissioner on the Pulwama dossier, Faisal said. We await the Indian response to questions shared with them." The spokesperson claimed that India has so far not provided "any actionable intelligence" related to the terror attack in Pulwama in Kashmir on February 14 in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.
He claimed that Pakistan has "credible intelligence" that India could launch a "misadventure" against Pakistan this month.
Pakistan will respond decisively if its resolve is tested by India, he said.
