PTI turns 'everything' into a 'plaything': PM Shehbaz

Coming to the defense of his foreign minister, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday chastised Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for turning “everything” into a “plaything” after the party criticised Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari visit to India for a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) moot.

“It is deeply troubling how the PTI tried to generate a controversy around Pakistan's participation in the SCO's meeting in India,” tweeted PM Shehbaz a day after FM Bilawal returned from India.

However, the PM said that it was not “surprising” as his predecessor Imran Khan “had no qualms about imperiling the country's vital foreign policy interests in the past”.

“This is what they did when they were in power. For the PTI, everything including the conduct of interstate relations is a plaything,” tweeted the premier.

Pakistan’s top diplomat visited the Indian city of Goa to attend the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting from May 4-5.

The visit was hailed by former diplomats, foreign policy analysts, scholars and experts as it marked the first time in more than a decade that a Pakistani foreign minister had visited the neighbouring country.

However, the opposition PTI was not very welcoming to the idea of a Pakistani foreign minister visiting India and was critical of Bilawal’s actions during his trip.

Reacting to the PM’s tweet, PTI leader Andleeb Abbas termed the prime minister’s tweet “ironic”.

“Washington Post expose of Discord Leaks revealed his dangerous tilt towards US in the war between Ukraine and Russia was revealed imperiling relations with China and Russia…No denial of this leak…Foreign policy Mr PM is not just 7 day vacation in UK on taxpayers expense,” said Abbas.

When the visit was announced, Senior Vice-President of PTI Fawad Chaudhry opposed the move and tweeted, “strongly condemn FM visit of Goa, participation would have been possible on video but problem is, you people, in love of Modi, are ready to disregard atrocities committed by Modi Janta in Kashmir and hardships Muslims of India and minorities to make Modi Janta happy. Pak Foreign policy is dead by all definitions of the word”.

When journalists tweeted that Foreign Minister Bilawal and his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar exchanged pleasantries, former human rights minister and PTI leader Shireen Mazari questioned the visit.

“PDM/handlers loyalists trying to retrieve some dignity for imported FM who was given a slap on the face by India refusing a bilateral meeting with his counterpart. So, his being seated on FMs table and Indian host shaking his hand was breaking news and sole achievement (although no picture)! Should he have been made to sit alone?” asked Mazari.

Mazari also slammed foreign minister Bilawal for the gestures when he met his Indian counterpart ahead of the start of the SCO moot.

“The real story is in this picture where Indian counterpart and host doesn't put his hand out to shake Bilawal's hand but does Namaste as does Bilawal,” tweeted Mazari.

The PTI leader said “signaling is important in diplomacy” especially when both are hostile states. She claimed that Bilawal signalled “appeasement” with the gesture.