Responding to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks about Pakistan during a podcast interview, the Foreign Office on Monday maintained that India’s “fictitious narrative of victimhood” cannot paper over its involvement in fomenting terrorism on Pakistani soil.
During the podcast with Lex Fridman, Modi alleged “every attempt to foster peace with Pakistan was met with hostility and betrayal.” He went on to say he hoped that “wisdom would prevail on the leadership in Islamabad to improve bilateral ties.”
Rejecting Modi’s commentary as “misleading and one-sided,” Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan noted it had “conveniently” omitted the longstanding Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
“India’s fictitious narrative of victimhood cannot hide its involvement in fomenting terrorism on Pakistan’s soil and the state-sanctioned oppression in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. “Instead of blaming others, India should reflect on its own record of orchestrating targeted assassinations, subversion and terrorism in foreign territories,” it added, in an apparent reference to India’s alleged role in extrajudicial assassinations in Canada and the U.S.
The spokesperson maintained Pakistan had always advocated constructive engagement and result-oriented dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. “However, peace and stability in South Asia have remained hostage to India’s rigid approach and hegemonic ambitions,” he added.
“The anti-Pakistan narrative, emanating from India, vitiates the bilateral environment and impedes the prospects for peace and cooperation. It must stop,” he emphasized.
In January 2024, Pakistan accused India of “extraterritorial” and “extrajudicial” killings of two of its citizens on Pakistani soil. More recently, military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has described India as the main sponsor of terrorism in Balochistan.