March 5, 2007 ☼ Foreign Affairs
This is an archived blog post from The Acorn.
The folks at Pakistan’s foreign office, especially the luckless spokesperson, are perennial favourites here on this blog. It’s a simple two-toned make-believe world out there. When not in denial, they are engaged in offensive defence — charges against Pakistan are “totally baseless” and any attempt to coerce Pakistan, say by hot pursuit’, will be greeted with a “befitting response”. The last time someone did not mention hot pursuit, the spokesperson’s trotted out a ‘nuclear holocaust’.
Take for example the latest instance. It was not even clear whether A K Antony, India’s defence minister, even mentioned the phrase “hot pursuit” (Update: he didn’t) for Tasnim Aslam to declare:
“First of all we have to check the veracity of the statement. If indeed the statement is true, we are surprised that a statement of this nature, which can only be described as irresponsible, has been made.” [The Hindu]
The reporter who asked this question remains anonymous but might well have asked the question to set her up for the yorker that followed: what about hot pursuit by Americans chasing Taliban militants back across the Durand line?
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