In the latest war of words on Twitter, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi lashed out at his Indian counterpart for ‘dragging his comment towards Sikh sentiments’ calling it a deliberate attempt to misrepresent and mislead.
The exchange of harsh words started after Qureshi, in his address to the ceremony following the Kartarpur corridor groundbreaking, said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had put India in a conundrum with the move to open the Kartarpur border corridor. PM Imran had “bowled a googly at India by opening the Kartarpur border corridor”.
Our ministers visited Kartarpur to offer prayers: Sushma on ‘googly’ remarks
The words were not taken light-heartedly in India with its Minister of External Affairs Shushma Swaraj snapping back in a tweet saying that India was not trapped by Pakistan’s googlies.
“Mr Foreign Minister of Pakistan – Your ‘googly’ remarks in a dramatic manner has exposed none but YOU. This shows that you have no respect for Sikh sentiments. You only play ‘googlies’,” she stated in a tweet.
Mr.Foreign Minister of Pakistan - Your 'googly' remarks in a dramatic manner has exposed none but YOU. This shows that you have no respect for Sikh sentiments. You only play 'googlies'. /1
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) December 1, 2018
“Our two Sikh Ministers went to Kartarpur Sahib to offer prayers in the Holy Gurudwara,” the Indian external affairs minister tweeted later.
Let me explain to you that we were not trapped by your 'googlies'. Our two Sikh Ministers went to Kartarpur Sahib to offer prayers in the Holy Gurudwara. /2
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) December 1, 2018
In response to Sushma Swaraj, the Pakistani foreign minister on Sunday said that relating his comments to "Sikh sentiments" was a deliberate attempt to misrepresent and mislead.
Dragging my comment towards "Sikh sentiments" is a deliberate attempt to misrepresent & mislead. What I said was strictly with ref to bilat.interaction with the Indian Govt. We have deep respect for Sikh sentiments & no amount of distortions or controversies would change it. 1/2
— Shah Mahmood Qureshi (@SMQureshiPTI) December 2, 2018
“What I said was strictly with reference to bilateral interaction with the Indian government. We have deep respect for Sikh sentiments and no amount of distortions or controversies would change it,” Qureshi said in a tweet.
Kartarpur corridor opening a gesture of goodwill: Qureshi
He further said that “in deference to the long-standing desires of our Sikh brethren, we decided to open the Kartarpur corridor. We have taken this historic initiative in good faith and will carry it forward in good faith”.
In deference to the long-standing desires of our Sikh brethren, we decided to open the Kartarpur Corridor. We have taken this historic initiative in good faith and will carry it forward in good faith. 2/2
— Shah Mahmood Qureshi (@SMQureshiPTI) December 2, 2018
Pakistan has categorically rejected the “relentless negative propaganda campaign being waged by a section of the Indian media” against Pakistan’s initiative of opening the Kartarpur corridor for Sikh pilgrims.
Expressing its dismay, the Pakistan Foreign Office reaffirmed “that the initiative to open this corridor has been taken by the government of Pakistan solely in deference to the longstanding wishes of our Sikh brethren, and especially in the wake of the forthcoming 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev”.
FO spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal said Indian media’s coverage attributing the opening of the visa-free corridor to any other motive is purely malicious. He also thanked guests from India who attended the ceremony.
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