BJP's nationwide protest against Pakistan minister Bilawal Bhutto's 'Gujarat' remarks
Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi at United Nations Security Council (UNSC) triggered outrage in India. Terming the remarks as 'highly shameful and derogatory', Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said it will hold nationwide protests on Saturday. The party has planned to hold protests across all the state capitals and burn the effigies of Zardari.
Why does this story matter?
Zardari's statement referring to PM Modi as a "butcher of Gujarat" came during a news conference. He was reacting to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's remarks after Pakistan raised the Kashmir issue during in UNSC debate. Following the exchange, India said that a country that sheltered al-Qaeda commander Osama bin Laden lacked the ability to "sermonize" in the strong UN agency.
BJP's announcement about protests
"The protests will be held in all the state capitals across the country," BJP said in a statement on Friday. "BJP karyakartas will burn the effigy of Pakistan and Pakistani Foreign Minister and will strongly condemn the shameful statement of Pakistani Foreign Minister," it added. According to the BJP, India's foreign policy is admired across the world, but Pakistan is under fire.
'Zardari's remarks derogatory, aimed at diverting global attention from Pakistan'
The BJP slammed Zaradari's statements as "highly derogatory and full of cowardice," claiming they were designed to draw international attention away from Pakistan's deteriorating economy, lawlessness, and instability. India's Foreign Ministry also reacted sharply to Zardari's comments about Modi calling it an "uncivilized outburst". Notably, BJP workers also demonstrated outside the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi on Friday against his statement.
Watch: Defamatory comments by Pakistan Foreign Minister
How did Jaishankar respond to Pakistan's Kashmir barb
Jaishankar said that Pakistan is a country that glorifies Osama bin Laden as a martyr and gives shelter to terrorists like Lakhvi, Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar, Sajid Mir, and Dawood Ibrahim. Taking a jibe at Pakistan, he said that no other country in the world can claim to have 126 terrorists and 27 terrorist organizations declared by the UN.
