ISLAMABAD, The Foreign Office on Friday said the remarks of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made in his interview with CNN \u201ccould not be construed as anti-Semitic by any stretch of the imagination\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny twist given to the Foreign Minister\u2019s remarks would unfortunately prove the very point he was making,\u201d Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said in response to media queries regarding the comments of CNN anchor.<\/p>\n
CNN anchor Bianna Golodryga, herself a Jew, had given the impression that Qureshi\u2019s remarks were \u201canti-Semitic\u201d<\/p>\n
The FO Spokesperson said, \u201cThe right to freedom of expression must be respected equally by everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Foreign Minister Qureshi had lashed out at Israel for controlling the media and having \u201cdeep pockets\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIsrael is losing out,\u201d Qureshi said in the CNN interview. \u201cThey\u2019re losing the media war, despite their connections\u2026The tide is turning,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will not justify any rocket attacks\u2026and I cannot condone the aerial bombardment that is taking place,\u201d Qureshi said, describing Israel\u2019s attack on Hamas as \u201cgenocide\u201d, \u201cethnic cleansing\u201d and \u201cwar crimes\u201d.<\/p>\n
Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari defended the remarks of Foreign Minister Qureshi, calling the anchor\u2019s comments as \u201crubbish\u201d. She said when Israel\u2019s \u201cdeep pockets\u201d were highlighted, it got labelled as \u201canti-Semitic\u201d.<\/p>\n
Twitterati including activists and journalists defended the Foreign Minister, tweeting out various statements explaining why his comments were not anti-Semitic and how the CNN anchor had got it all wrong.<\/p>\n
Other celebrities also condemned the misuse of \u201canti-Semitic\u201d term as an excuse to silent voices of dissent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD, The Foreign Office on Friday said the remarks of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made in his interview with CNN \u201ccould not be construed as anti-Semitic by any stretch of the imagination\u201d. \u201cAny twist given to the Foreign Minister\u2019s remarks would unfortunately prove the […]<\/p>\n
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