EAM Jaishankar Makes Blunt Swipe At American Media , Slams US-Pakistan Ties Over F-16

New York: Stern approach of India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr. S Jaishankar again surfaced as the former IFS slammed the mainstream American media, including The Washington Post, for their “biased” coverage of India.

Dr Jaishankar’s statements surfaced while the Indian minister interacted with Indian-Americans in New York.

The foreign minister made a blunt swipe at US-Pakistan ties over fighter jets, F-16s, and threw light on the possible ulterior motive behind the deal.

“I look at the media. You know, there are some newspapers you know, exactly, what they are going to write including one in this town,” Jaishankar told a gathering of Indian-Americans from across the country amidst laughter and applause on Sunday.

“…Very honestly, it’s a relationship that has neither ended up serving Pakistan well nor serving American interests. So, it’s really for the US today to reflect on what the merits are of this relationship (US-Pakistan ties) and what they get by it,” Jaishankar said.

“For someone to say I’m doing this as it’s for counter-terrorism, when you’re talking about an aircraft like the capability of the F-16, you’re not fooling anybody by saying that. Any country would take a decision in their interest but one must not ‘fool’ others by showcasing a decision otherwise,” the EAM said.

“My point is there are biases, there are efforts really, to determine,…Look, the more India goes its way and the people who believe that they were the custodians and the shapers of India lose ground in India the more actually, some of these debaters gonna come outside,” Jaishankar said responding to a question on the increase in anti-Indian forces in this country.