Pak FM Bilawal downplays Jaishankar not shaking hands with him at SCO meeting

Panaji (Goa) [India], May 5 (ANI): Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday downplayed External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar not shaking hands with him at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Foreign Ministers meet in Goa and said "we do not need to complain about it".
Interacting with the Pakistani media in Goa he said, "India, as a chair's responsibility as far as CFM is concerned, Dr Jaishankar completely stood in his responsibility. He met everybody the same way. There wasn't any distinction. The way that Pakistan was treated and anybody else was treated, if it is the case, we do not need to complain about it."
Jaishankar greeted Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari with a "Namastey" on Friday in Goa at a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
Visuals showed the Jaishankar greeting Zardari in Indian tradition with a "Namastey", avoiding a handshake.
The Goa meeting has generated much interest because the foreign minister of Pakistan is in attendance. He is the first Pakistani foreign minister to visit India since 2011 and also the first by a senior Pakistani official since 2016 when Sartaj Aziz went to Delhi.
Speaking about the dinner hosted by EAM S Jaishankar, Bilawal said, "Whenever there are such SCO meetings, all the Foreign Ministers host such dinners. When the CFM was done in Tashkent, there was too an unofficial and casual dinner hosted for all the foreign ministers. Similarly, it was hosted here. I really appreciate the way the cultural show was done here that including Pakistani participation as well. At any time, he didn't make me feel that due to our bilateral ties, there is any impact on our engagement at the SCO conference."
He further said that as per rules, at this multilateral forum, "we cannot raise our bilateral differences."
He said that most Pakistanis and all Indians want to live in peace. "In 2026, when Pakistan will be the chair of SCO, I believe that on the basis of a diplomatic reciprocal arrangement, India decides to participate in the SCO. At the heart of heart, every Pakistani and most Pakistanis and all Indians want to live in peace and peace is our destiny. We won't be held hostage by history. We will make our own history," he added.
However, Bilawal said that there is no change in Pakistan's policy on Kashmir while talking with the media in Goa.
"India-Pakistan relations have been affected by India's unilateral actions, and it is imperative that the August 2019 unilateral actions on Kashmir be ended," said Bilawal.
Bilawal also met China's FM Qin Gang on the sidelines of SCO-CFM at Goa.
"Delighted to meet China State Councilor & FM Qin Gang @AmbQinGang on the sidelines of SCO-CFM at Goa. Pakistan & China are iron brothers & will continue to work together for regional peace & prosperity of our peoples. Looking forward to welcoming him in Islamabad," he tweeted.
While wrapping up his India visit, Bilwal informed that he will address a press conference tonight upon his arrival back in Pakistan.
"That's a wrap from the SCO Conference in Goa. I will address a Press Conference tonight upon my arrival back in Pakistan. Tomorrow the FMs of China and Afghanistan will be visiting Pakistan where we will engage in bilateral meetings, followed by a trilateral meeting between our three countries," he tweeted.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari returned home after attending the meeting of the Foreign Council of Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on Friday. (ANI)