ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Monday reaffirmed Pakistan’s willingness to host the 19th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit and invited India to virtually attend the event.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, he regretted that India’s continuous negative attitude has made the most effective forum for economic cooperation and development dysfunctional.
Pakistan is keen to further boost its bilateral ties with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, he added.
About relations with India, the foreign minister said unfortunately, the prospects of durable peace and stability in the region and the great potential for economic development and regional cooperation has been held hostage by the hegemonic and hostile behaviour of India, whose BJP-RSS Hindutva inspired leadership has adopted a particularly irresponsible and politically motivated anti-Pakistan posture, and a patently anti-Muslim approach at home.
He said India’s unilateral and illegal actions in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) since August 5, 2019 aims at undermining the status of the disputed territory, perpetuating its illegal occupation, and altering its demographic structure, adding that the unabated widespread violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, and state-terrorism against the innocent Kashmiris have further vitiated the environment and threatened international peace and security.
“Pakistan desires friendly relations with all its neighbours, including India. But as the prime minister has said, the onus is on India to take necessary steps to create an environment conducive for dialogue. Resolution of Jammu and Kashmir dispute is a prerequisite for durable peace and stability in South Asia,” Qureshi reiterated.
The foreign minister further elaborated that in one of the biggest ever crackdowns in the IIOJK, 1,400 Kashmiris were arrested arbitrarily in October, 2021. Since August 5, 2019, more than 502 Kashmiris have been martyred by the Indian occupation forces in fake encounters and extra-judicial operations, he added.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC), he said, has deliberated the Jammu and Kashmir issue three times since August 5, 2019. The UN secretary-general has called on all parties to refrain from taking steps that could affect the status of Jammu and Kashmir, he added.
The foreign minister reaffirmed that Pakistan would continue to extend all possible moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people in their just struggle for self-determination.
He said developments in Afghanistan as the immediate neighbour presented a major challenge to Pakistan, adding that the consequences of instability in Afghanistan have always impacted Pakistan.
In the post August 15, 2021 period, he said, Pakistan played a pivotal role in the safe evacuation of over 80,000 individuals across 42 nationalities, consisting of diplomats, international NGO (non-governmental organisation) workers, the media and many, many others.
The government of Pakistan also pledged Rs5 billion aid to Afghanistan, the first consignments of which has already started, he added.
Talking about the fencing of Pakistan-Afghanistan border, he acknowledged that there are “some complications” pertaining to the fencing but added that the matter is being discussed with the Afghan Taliban government.
Separately, talking to a news outlet, he said: “Certain miscreants are raising this issue unnecessarily, but we are looking into it and we are in contact with the Afghan government. Hopefully, we would be able to resolve the issue diplomatically.”
With input from APP
