Bilawal didn’t meet Russian FM during SCO meeting to appease US: Mazari

ISLAMABAD: PTI leader and former human rights minister Shireen Mazari has called out Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for not holding a bilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart on the sidelines of the SCO meeting in Tashkent.

FM Bilawal is leading Pakistan’s delegation to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting (CFM) in Tashkent.

According to the Foreign Office, Bilawal held bilateral meetings on the sidelines with his counterparts from Afghanistan, China, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Earlier during the week, various ambassadors called on the foreign minister.

The foreign minister held not hold a bilateral meeting or any interaction with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar or Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during the summit.

PTI leader Mazari called Bilawal for snubbing his Russian counterpart, claiming it was done to appease the United States.

She said that Bilawal not meeting his Indian counterpart was acceptable given “Modi fascism” in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. However, she questioned the decision to not meet the Russian foreign minister during the meeting.

“Why would he not meet Lavrov except out of fear of US,” she questioned. She added that it was shameful how subservience before the US prevents the “imported government’s foreign minister from even meeting Russian FM bilaterally.”

Bilawal meets all SCO foreign ministers except Indian FM – which was proper given Modi’s fascism in IIOJK – & Russian FM. Why would he not meet Lavrov except out of fear of US! Shameful how subservience before US prevents Imported govt’s FM from even mtg Russian FM bilaterally!

— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) July 30, 2022

Bilawal held six bilateral meetings with foreign ministers of Central Asian countries on the sidelines of the conference which is being held in connection with preparations for the SCO Heads of State meeting scheduled to be held in September.

He asserted that Pakistan has no plans of holding any bilateral meeting with India. He also said there are no plans of any meetings between Indian and Pakistani prime ministers in September.

He said both India and Pakistan are part of the SCO and the two countries are only engaged in the context of the broad-based activities of the organisation.

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