Pak envoy should make 'wise' not 'negative' statements: Rijiju

Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Friday rejected Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit's remark on the recent visit of the JIT probing the Pathankot terror attack and said that such statements would not help in improving relations between the two Asian neighbours.

"Whatever the Pakistan High Commissioner to India has said is totally wrong. His statement won't help in improving the relations between the two nations. We reject the statement made by Abdul Basit," Rijiju told ANI.

"He should not make such statements, which affect the bilateral relations in a negative manner. He should make statements wisely. The statement made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is correct," he added.

India has countered Basit's assertion that the visit by Pakistan's JIT to investigate the Pathankot terror attack was not on the basis of reciprocity.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that the Indian High Commission in Islamabad had formally conveyed to the Pakistan Foreign Ministry that the terms of reference of the JIT's visit are broadly agreed to with the condition that these would be on the basis of reciprocity.

Earlier, during a media interaction, the Pakistan High Commissioner had said the whole investigation by the JIT is not about the question of reciprocity but is more about extending cooperation to each other to get to the bottom of the incident.

Reacting to Basit's remarks that the peace process between India and Pakistan stands suspended, Swarup referred to Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria's press conference in which he had stated that both countries are in contact with each other and it has been reiterated from both sides that modalities are being worked out.