'Highly irresponsible': FO rejects reports FM threatened India for holding G20 meet in IIOJK

• FO calls reports of "threat" an attempt to shift focus from Bilawal's key message.
• Says any such insinuation "not only mischievous but highly irresponsible".
• Urges media to respect journalistic norms in reporting on sensitive matters.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday rubbished reports implying Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari's remarks on the G20 meeting in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) as a threat to India, saying any such insinuations were "highly irresponsible".

"Any insinuation, associating foreign minister’s remarks with a threat of violence, is not only mischievous but highly irresponsible. It is an attempt to shift focus from the foreign minister's key message of conflict resolution through dialogue and in accordance with international law and UN security council resolutions," a statement issued by the FO read.

The FO spokesperson made the comment in response to media queries on a video that appeared to show the top diplomat hurling a threat towards India when asked about the G20 meeting, which is set to take place later this month.

The Foreign Office also urged the media outlets to respect journalistic norms while reporting on sensitive inter-state matters.

“In a number of public pronouncements during his recent visit to India, the foreign minister emphasised the critical importance of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions for a peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. Clearly, he based his case on international law," the statement said.

It added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already articulated Pakistan’s position on the G20 Tourism Working Group meeting in the IIOJK in its press release dated April 11, 2023.

FM Bilawal, who attended a two-day moot of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) India's coastal city of Goa, stole all the limelight as the entire Indian media was focused on him. It was his maiden visit to India as the FM and first visit of a top diplomat in nearly 12 years.