India slams Pak over PM Sharif's 'staged' remark on PM Modi's J&K visit
"I don"t understand the word staged. It seems to indicate the visit did not take place and we are trying to show that it did," he said.
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New Delhi, April 29: Taking a dig at Pakistan for passing remarks on the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Jammu and Kashmir, India said Islamabad has no locus standi to comment on matters pertaining to the union territory.
Answering queries about Pakistan's remarks during the regular media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi hit out at Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, terming the visit "staged."
"I don't understand the word staged. It seems to indicate the visit did not take place and we are trying to show that it did," he said.
Countering Pakistan, the MEA spokesperson instead added that PM Modi received a warm welcome in Jammu and Kashmir while asserting that the erstwhile state has changed. Therefore, he maintained that Pakistan's statement on PM Modi's visit is inappropriate.
"I think it's pretty clear that the reception that he (PM Modi) got and the visuals that you saw and the development projects that he inaugurated and the changes that have happened on the ground is a very clear answer to any questions that may be raised about Prime Minister's visit about it. In any case, I think Pakistan has no locus to talk about...it from its perspective on what's happening in Jammu and Kashmir but I answered in the context of if somebody is questioning the visit itself," he added.
PM Modi visited Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday to participate in the celebration of National Panchayati Raj Day and addressed all the gram sabha's across the country. It was his first major visit to Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370. He inaugurated and laid the foundation of multiple development initiatives worth Rs 20,000 crore in the union territory..
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