Hours after he was expelled by India, The Indian Express caught up with Pakistani Deputy High Commissioner Jalil Abbas Jilani at his residence. Excerpts:• On the charges against him of supporting separatist activities:I see it as a very unfortunate incident. We have already rejected these charges and I have been made a scapegoat of Indian domestic politics. This is a cooked-up incident and it is unfortunate that it sets a trend where the head of the mission has been targeted. After all, I am the highest representation of the Pakistan government in India.• On reports that the Pakistani High Commission has been indulging in similar activities for quite sometime:I wish the Indian agencies had given us those reports. Where is the proof? In fact, they took this action against me even though the investigation in this case is still on. In the present case, these are cooked-up charges to gain domestic mileage.• Implications on the future of Indo-Pak relations:This is a new low in our relations. I have a personal sense of hurt and disappointment that in this century, this has happened when we should be talking to each other. As long as Indo-Pak relations are dominated by domestic politics on the Indian side, good relations will be difficult. In Pakistan, no political party tries to whip up anti-India sentiments to score brownie points.• On Pakistani support for Kashmir movement:My country will continue to support the legitimate separatist movement in Kashmir.• On his India tenure: It has been a very tense phase except for the brief period when Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee met President Pervez Musharraf in Agra which generated some hope. But this episode has left a bitter taste and has hurt me very much. I have many personal friends in New Delhi and they have expressed their shock at the incident.
