Pakistan on Thursday took a strong exception to the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's 'dalaal' comments, saying it showed a "deeper sense of frustration" on the part of Indian leadership.
During an all-party meeting on Wednesday, the Indian government rubbished Pakistan's reported mediation in the West Asia conflict saying there is nothing new in the efforts as that country has been "used" by the US since 1981, sources quoted Jaishankar as saying. "We are not a dalaal nation," he is said to have told the attendees of the meeting.
On Friday, Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi was asked about the alleged "foul language" used by Jaishankarr against Pakistan, when he said: "First of all, we dismiss the Indian statement with the contempt that it deserves."
Talking further about the Indian External Affairs Minister's remarks, he said: "Such undiplomatic rhetoric betrays a deeper sense of frustration. When arguments run thin, invective appears to fill the gap."
"Pakistan does not subscribe to such megaphone theatrics. Our approach is anchored in restraint, decorum and not in rhetorical excesses," he said.
Pakistan on Thursday confirmed relaying messages between the US and Iran, saying dialogue and diplomacy are the only way forward to end the West Asia conflict.
Starting February 28, the US and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran, which in turn, retaliated, spreading the war to the entire Gulf region.
On a separate issue, Andrabi also said that India has been misusing its status as an upper riparian and is violating its own commitments, not just under the Indus Waters Treaty but also under the International Law and the responsibilities of the upper riparian.
"We have mechanisms under the Indus Waters Treaty to take up these issues, including seasonal variations of river flows. Our Indus Commissioner and relevant officials are cognizant of these developments (fluctuation in level of water in rivers). We would not let India weaponise water," he said.
India had put in abeyance the 1960 vintage Indus Water Treaty after the April 2025 terror attack at Pahalgam that killed 26 people.