No complain on Bilawal Bhutto's welcome in India: Pakistan
May 05, 2023
- "All is well so far," FO spokesperson says on Bilawal's India visit.
- Pak FM's handshake with Indian counterpart "routine formality".
- Bilawal first Pakistani FM to visit India after nearly 12 years.
After Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and his delegation arrived in India's Goa, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zehra Baloch Friday said the host nation has given them no reason to complain.
“They haven’t given us a chance to complain. All is well so far,” Baloch said, as a high-level Pakistan delegation prepares to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting in the coastal city.
The spokesperson's comment came during an exclusive interview with Geo News.
Responding to a question about FM Bilawal's handshake with his counterpart Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and whether it was reflective of past bitterness, the FO spokesperson said: “You are giving it a lot of importance. It was a routine formality.”
Bilawal is leading Pakistan's delegation at the SCO's Council of Foreign Ministers meeting.
A day earlier, he arrived in Goa on his first-ever visit to India, hoping for a "successful" meeting of the SCO foreign ministers.
Speaking to the media after landing in Goa, the foreign minister said, "I am happy that I have reached here in Goa to attend the SCO meeting. I hope that the SCO CFM will be a success."
The FO spokesperson further told Geo News that the hosts welcomed their guest as they did for other foreign ministers.
When asked about Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to India in July to attend the SCO summit, Baloch said it is too early to say anything at the moment.
