New Delhi: In the wake of recent controversies related to remarks made on Prophet Mohammad, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has said that foreign nations know “us” and they deal with India.
“They (such countries) deal with us, they know what we are about… they know that these are not our views,” he said at a CNN TV programme.
Dr Jaishankar made it clear that what was said was not the position of the BJP and the party had made it “very clear in very strong terms”.
“The countries not just in the Gulf, I would say even in southeast Asia some countries, who had concerns do appreciate that this was not the position of the government,” Dr Jaishankar said.
“Once the party clarified its position, our expectation is that the people will understand that,” he said, adding the BJP also acted on the matter and took the two controversial leaders to task. But he admitted, “There will be people who will fish in troubled waters. International relations is a very competitive game which is not played by Queensberry rules”.
He maintained, thus India needs to engage, and put across “our point of view and we are doing it”.
“Even in the last few days, you can see people do understand that – what is the true picture
in India,” he asserted.
To a question, he also remarked – “I am also a little sensitive to being lectured. But I would not take this issue as a lecture. I think this was an issue where the sensibilities and the sensitivities of people were impacted. So they were articulating that.
“India will not allow any unilateral Chinese attempt to alter LAC” :
Dr Jaishankar said China, in violation of the 1993 and 1996 agreements not to mass troops on the LAC, chose to do so, and added that its attempt was obviously to unilaterally change the LAC.
“We are very clear on one point, which is, we will not allow any unilateral attempt by China to change the status quo or alter the LAC,” he said.
“I do not care how long it takes, how many rounds we do (talks), how hard we have to negotiate this is something we are very clear of,” Dr Jaishankar said.
“Even though we were in the midst of COVID-19 at that time, through an enormous logistical effort, which I think sometimes has not been adequately recognised by people, by analysts, even in our politics in this country, we were actually able to counter them at the LAC,” he said.
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