New Delhi, December 19
India’s level of expectation from Pakistanis is “never very high”, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday, in his first comments over the personal attack made by his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) described Bhutto-Zardari’s remarks as “uncivilised” and said they were a “new low” even for Pakistan.
“I think my ministry has said very clearly what we think about what he (Pakistan foreign minister) said. We said what we had to say,” Jaishankar said during India Today’s India-Japan conclave.
When pressed further on whether he was upset over the remarks against the prime minister, Jaishankar said: “Our expectation levels with the Pakistanis are never very high.” In a strong condemnation of Bhutto-Zardari’s remarks, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Friday said the Pakistan foreign minister’s “frustration” would be better directed towards the masterminds of terrorist enterprises in his own country” that has made terrorism a part of their “state policy”.
