Imran’s remark on PM Modi could be Cong ploy: Sitharaman

TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman believes that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statement ‘that there may be a better chance of India-Pak peace talks and settling of the Kashmir issue if the Bharatiya Janata Party is voted back to power’, is a ploy by the Congress to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government from the Centre.

“I wouldn’t know why such statements are being made. Every time such statements are made and this is individually my perception and not my party’s or the government’s take. There have been many eminent leaders of the Congress who went there (Pakistan) to seek help to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They went there saying, Modi hatane ke liye hamen madad karo (help us to oust Modi). I wonder whether this is also a part of the scheme of things which have been put by the Congress. I don’t know what to make of this honestly,” the defence minister told.

During an interaction with a small group of foreign journalists in Islamabad, Imran Khan had said he believes there may be a better chance of peace talks with India and settling the Kashmir issue if Modi’s party BJP wins the general elections.

Reacting to Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s claims that India was going to attack Pakistan between April 16-20, Sitharaman said, “I don’t know from where he got these dates from. Good luck to him… god knows (who is his source in India) but it sounded very fanciful and amusing to me.”