ISLAMABAD: A series of inflammatory remarks recently made by Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar prompted a bristling response from the Foreign Office, which advised New Delhi to “improve the standard of their discourse and discard their obsession with Pakistan”.

The Indian minister, who was in Europe on a seven-day image-building trip to France, EU and Belgium, made a number of incendiary remarks about Pakistan, claiming that India stands ready to strike anywhere in Pakistan if provoked.

In an interview with Politico, Jaishankar had accused Islamabad of using “terrorism as an instrument of state policy”. In the same interview, he also alleged that their Western neighbour was training “thousands” of terrorists “in the open” and “unleashing” them on India.

“We are not going to live with it… And we don’t care where they are. If they are deep in Pakistan, we will go deep into Pakistan,” he had said.

In a mildly sarcastic response, issued on Wednesday, the Foreign Office said “[t]he tone and tenor of a foreign minister should be commensurate with his dignified status”.

“India must also desist from concocting misleading narratives to justify its recent aggressive actions. Pakistan believes in peaceful coexistence, dialogue and diplomacy. However, it stands resolute in its intent and ability to safeguard its sovereignty against any aggression, as exemplified by its robust response to India’s reckless strikes, last month.”

Jaishankar had also resorted to distorting the very name of Pakistan in an attempt to link the country to terrorism. Apparently chiding his feeble wordplay, the FO noted: “The discourse of top diplomats should aim to promote peace and harmony, rather than producing bellicose punchlines.”

“The narrative emerging from India betrays sheer frustration, following an unsuccessful military adventure against Pakistan,” the FO said.

In the Politico interview, Jaishankar was also quizzed about the shooting down of Indian warplanes. He didn’t deny the destruction of Indian Air Force planes, merely saying that the appropriate authorities would communicate on the matter when ready.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2025