Pakistan on Friday regretted remarks made by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs' spokesperson in response to Prime Minister Imran Khan's "goodwill" offer of sharing Pakistan's experience with the country to help it mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Foreign Office, in a statement, said that the spokesperson's remarks were an "unprofessional attempt at point-scoring on a serious issue that involves lives of millions of poor people in the subcontinent".

A day earlier, the premier offered to assist India with the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic by sharing details of the government's Ehsaas Emergency Cash programme.

Citing a news report about a study detailing the impact of the coronavirus on the world's fifth largest economy, the premier said: "According to this report, 34 per cent of households across India will not be able to survive for more than a week without additional assistance.

"I am ready to offer help and share our successful cash transfer programme, lauded internationally for its reach and transparency, with India."

Responding to the prime minister's proposition, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs had said that Pakistan had a "debt problem covering 90pc of the country’s GDP [gross domestic product]", Hindustan Times reported.

"Pakistan would do well to recall that they have a debt problem which covers 90pc of their GDP. As far as India goes, our stimulus package is as large as the GDP of Pakistan," the publication quoted Anurag Srivastava, the spokesperson for the Indian foreign affairs ministry, as saying.

The Foreign Office, in its statement said that the premier's offer during a "challenging time of a global pandemic was in consonance with the initiative for sharing national experiences among Saarc member countries in dealing with the impact of Covid-19".

The statement added that India's response to the offer was "inconsistent with the stated position of their own leadership".

"International agencies have appreciated the positive impact of the government of Pakistan's direct cash transfer of Rs120 billion to 10 million poor families in Pakistan in the most transparent manner," the statement said.

"The premier's suggestion was in the backdrop of a study by a reputable US University that highlighted the impact of Covid-19 lockdowns on Indian households especially the poorest sections of the society and effectiveness of direct cash transfers and food to the poor families affected by lockdown.

"The Pakistani government emphasises that the global pandemic is a common challenge demanding serious efforts and honest sharing of national experiences among countries while rising above petty point-scoring," the statement concluded.

Prime Minister Imran launched the multi-billion Ehsaas Emergency Cash programme last month for the workers and daily wage earners badly affected by the coronavirus crisis. The scheme is distinct from the Ehsaas Cash programme already in operation under which Rs144 billion was allocated for 12 million families.