Jaishankar’s brute comeback as Austria TV anchor questions 'undiplomatic' remarks against Pak
Vienna, January 3: Day after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made an indirect attack on Pakistan terming it as "epicentre of terrorism" has in an interview to a popular Austrian TV show said that he could have used much harsher words for India's neighbour for its role in promoting cross border terrorism even as he criticised Europe for not "condemning the practices that have been going on for multiple decades."
Jaishankar who is in Vienna on the second leg of his two-nation tour had on Monday during a joint press conference with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, said that the impacts of cross-border terrorism cannot be confined within a region, especially when they are deeply linked to the drugs and illegal weapons trade, as well as other forms of international crime.
In Monday's interview with Austria's ZIB2 podcast, a daily news magazine of ORF television, when he was asked about the "not very diplomatic" term for Pakistan, Jaishankar said, "Because you are a diplomat, doesn't mean you are untruthful. I could use much harsher words than epicentre, so believe me, considering what has been happening to us, I think epicentre is a very diplomatic word," said Jaishankar.
"This is a country which has attacked the Parliament of India some years ago, which attacked the city of Mumbai, which went after hotels, and foreign tourists, which every day sends terrorists across the border," said Jaishankar in reference to the Mumbai 2008 attacks.
The External Affairs Minister had said during his joint press briefing with the Austrian foreign ministry without naming any country said, "...since the epicentre (of terrorism) is so close to India, our experiences and insights are naturally valuable to others," Jaishankar said at the joint briefing.
Jaishankar had also recently had made the same remarks while addressing reporters after chairing an event at the UN Security Council held under the Indian presidency in December.
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