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"I was very worried when I saw the Minister of External Affairs, when I was in the room, she seemed pale," said Qureshi laughing. "She looked very worried, I wish, I wish we could smile at each other."
He made the remarks to the Asia Society here Friday, a day after Sushma Swaraj refused to talk with him at the ministerial meeting of the South Asian Regional Cooperation (Saarc) and left after delivering his speech. without staying for the moment.
Most of the spectators, among whom a large number of people of Pakistani origin, did not participate in his laughter.
With exaggerated gestures, Qureshi added, "I could see the immense tension and when she left, she was not even willing to engage with the media." I had no problem but I could see the pressure, but I could see the political pressure on her, politics, nothing else, politics, domestic politics. "
After Saarc's meeting on Thursday, he had insinuated to the Pakistani media that she may be feeling bad, according to Samaa TV.
Sushma Swaraj, however, had talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono and Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Walid al Muallem.
India originally agreed last week with the request of newly elected Prime Minister Imran Khan to hold talks between Sushma Swaraj and Qureshi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting.
However, New Delhi canceled the talks a day later after three Indian policemen were killed in Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan issued a stamp in the honor of a terrorist leader.
True to India 's desire not to engage diplomatically with Pakistan as long as the issue of terrorism persisted, Sushma Swaraj has steadfastly refused to engage with Qureshi, even informally, at the same time. occasion of the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Asked by a Pakistani journalist why the talks did not take place, Qureshi responded by referring to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata party, but without naming them.
"Why are they reluctant?" "Simply, sir, politics, elections, elections, fear of the electorate." They took the clock, they pushed the pendulum to such an extreme, now they have trouble to bring him back. "
"And with the elections that took place around the corner and they felt that the boomerang was possible, that's why they were shy," he added.
But recalling Khan's offer in his first speech after the election to take two steps for every step taken by India, Qureshi reiterated Islamabad's concern for the talks.
"Whenever you are ready, our message is loud and clear, Pakistan will never fear because we want to go forward, we want the region to develop," he said.
Qureshi said the elections in Pakistan that brought Khan to power were a turning point for the nation.
"Pakistanis are clear on the fact that extremism must be reversed, militancy is not what we need, terrorism has hit us more than anyone."
On the growing links between New Delhi and Washington, Qureshi said: "Today, India is a strategic partner of the United States, but we have no problem with that".
However, displaying a feeling of insecurity, he added: "… but why lose old friends? Have new ones, why lose old friends."
In exchange for continued aid to the United States in Afghanistan, he wanted Washington to put pressure on India for its relations with Pakistan.
"If the United States wants us to help (in Afghanistan) and we want to help in our own interest, because we want peace in the region, they have to tell their new strategic partner to make it easier for us to focus on areas of mutual interest, "he said.
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