Russian FM refused to meet Bilawal: PTI's Fawad Chaudhry

Islamabad [Pakistan], July 30 (ANI): Hitting out at the country's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari who attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tashkent yesterday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry said that was on an "internship" and that no one knows him.
During a press conference in Islamabad on Saturday, the PTI leader also said that his Bilawal's Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov refused to meet him, The News International reported.
While the former human rights minister Shireen Mazari in a Tweet that FM Bilawal's meeting with all foreign ministers at the SCO except those from India and Russia.
"Bilawal meets all SCO foreign ministers except Indian FM - which was proper given Modi's fascism in IIOJK - & Russian FM. Why would he not meet Lavrov except out of fear of US! Shameful how subservience before US prevents Imported govt's FM from even mtg Russian FM bilaterally!" she tweeted.
According to a press release issued by Pakistan's Foreign Office on July 29, FM Bilawal held important, in-depth interactions with his counterparts from China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. However, there is no mention of his meeting with his Russian counterpart. Earlier, he also met with the Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi, The News International reported.
Meanwhile, no bilateral meeting with Russia during the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tashkent on Friday, have raised an eyebrow over the Shahbaz Sharif-led Pakistan government as Islamabad relations with Moscow have been discussed several times during Imran Khan's regime.
Pakistan's relationship with Russia was more often talked about at the time when former Prime Minister Imran khan was removed from power in April.
Khan has maintained that he was removed from power through a US conspiracy since he wanted to pursue an independent foreign policy, particularly one that deepens ties with Russia.
In May, Pakistan had said that it is open to importing oil and food products from Russia amid the ongoing backlash against the country for actions in Ukraine.
Russia had launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine on February 24, the day when former Imran Khan decided to visit Moscow to push for the construction of a long-delayed, multi-billion-dollar gas pipeline to be built in collaboration with Russian companies. (ANI)