No room left after DG ISPR's explanation: FM Qureshi

Ayaz Sadiq’s clarification shows that he had unintentionally played in the hands of someone else.

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday said that there is no more room left after the explanation given by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Babar Iftikhar regarding the release of Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Abhinandan Varthaman.

In a statement, the foreign minister said that he had made it clear that statement with concrete evidence is one thing, while flattering someone is another, adding that he had made it clear yesterday that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former National Assembly speaker Ayaz Sadiq s statement was irresponsible.

He said that following the irresponsible statement of the PML-N leader, the Indian Air Force (IAF) chief now also has the courage to speak again.

Qureshi went on to say that Pakistan had acted responsibility which was appreciated all over the world. “We taught India a lesson and then took steps to reduce tensions, this is called wisdom,” he said but unfortunately, if such statements are made from within, it will reinforce the rhetoric of those who slander Pakistan on social media, which is very unfortunate.

The FM further said that Ayaz Sadiq’s clarification shows that he had unintentionally played in the hands of someone else, adding he should not have done so.

He said: “India has been always looking for an opportunity to humiliate Pakistan and if such statements are made, New Delhi will definitely use them.”

The minister further added that his [Ayaz Sadiq’s] statement was irresponsible, adding that the statement of the PML-N leader has not served Pakistan but has harmed it. “I think we have to move on and avoid what went wrong so that it doesn t happen again,” he added.

PML-N leader Ayaz Sadiq statement

On Wednesday, speaking exclusively to Dunya News program "Nuqta-e-Nazar", PML-N leader Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had claimed that Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said during a meeting that if Pakistan did not release Indian pilot Abhinandan, India would attack Pakistan at 9pm that night.

Ayaz Sadiq said that he tries not to make any personal attacks but when those in power refer to us as thieves or ‘Modi ka yaar’, we will have to respond.

"These are not serious people," he said. They don’t even know the rules of parliament. Answering a question, he said that he had not met with Shehbaz Sharif in the past few days, however, if there is a meeting, it is nothing to hide.

On the statement he made earlier today in parliament, Ayaz Sadiq claimed that Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said in an important meeting that if Indian pilot Abhinandan was not released, India would attack Pakistan that night. He claimed that the Foreign Minister had said this in a meeting between parliamentary leaders, including those of PPP and PML-N, and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Ayaz Sadiq said that the opposition has supported this government on every issue, including Kashmir and Abhinandan, but it will no longer be appropriate to provide any further support.