ISLAMABAD, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday said as Kashmiris wanted a full-fledged restoration of statehood of Jammu and Kashmir, the claim of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi to fulfill such demand \u201cat some opportune time\u201d was entirely \u201cvague and against the interest of Kashmiris\u201d.<\/p>\n
He termed the meeting between Indian prime minister Narendra Modi with Kashmiri leader minus the All Parties Hurriyat Conference a \u201cstaged drama and a public relation exercise\u201d to cover the illegal acts of August 5.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was a failed attempt on part of the Indian prime minister to mend the tarnished image of his government following the illegal acts of revocation of special status of Jammu and Kashmir,\u201d the foreign minister said here at a press conference.<\/p>\n
The foreign minister was referring to Thursday\u2019s meeting where Narendra Modi met political figures from Occupied Jammu and Kashmir \u2013 the first high-level engagement since August 2019 when India revoked the region\u2019s autonomy by scrapping Article 370 of its constitution and ended the special status of J&K.<\/p>\n
He said the all-parties conference called by the Indian prime minister exposed the tall claims about normalcy of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir ended up in failure.<\/p>\n
He said there existed a wide gulf between the aspirations of Bhartiya Janta Party government and the true representative of Kashmiris who remained \u201cin search of their identity and the basic right of self-determination.<\/p>\n
Qureshi said the last two years in J&K were all about the \u201csiege of Kashmiri people\u201d with routine incidents of extrajudicial killings, illegal detentions and abductions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndia has exercised all tools of State oppression to curb the determination of Kashmiris, however it has failed to subjugate them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He mentioned that India\u2019s illegal act resulted in economic loss with 50 percent of industries closed in the valley.<\/p>\n
To a question on India bringing demographic change in J&K, he said since the step would have far-reaching implications, Pakistan had highlighted the matter at highest fora including United Nations General Assembly, UN Security Council, during bilateral interactions of at the levels of prime minister and foreign minister, through parliamentary engagement and Geneva Council of Human Rights.<\/p>\n
Foreign Minister Qureshi, in response to a question on Prime Minister Imran Khan\u2019s statement that nuclear capability would serve no purpose with resolution of the Kashmir dispute, said the country\u2019s nuclear policy had \u201cno aggressive designs\u201d.<\/p>\n
He, however, said that keeping the nuclear deterrent was in view of neighbouring countries which could have belligerent motives.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuch decision [nuclear disarmament] is dependent on several factors including the security environment, outstanding disputes and balance of force,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Asked if Pakistan and India were holding a backdoor channel of communication, he categorically dismissed the notion, however said there existed a \u201ctime to time interaction at intelligence level in the area of regional security\u201d.<\/p>\n
To a question on rising violence in Afghanistan, he said Pakistan was concerned about the situation where several elements and \u201cspoilers\u201d could be held responsible who did not want to see peace and stability in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
He said Pakistan had been advocating and facilitating the Afghan peace process with its role of \u201cbecoming a part of solution and not problem\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cA negotiated political settlement in Afghanistan is in everybody\u2019s Interest and the best way forward,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Qureshi emphasized that the Afghans, including the government and Taliban, needed to sit together.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever the outcome evolves out of their negotiations, Pakistan would respect that,\u201d he added, saying that \u201cWe will remain the partners of peace and not conflict\u201d.<\/p>\n
Asked about the blame-game against Pakistan ahead of the meeting between U.S. president Joe Biden and Afghan president Ashraf Ghani, he said, \u201cThey [Afghan government representatives] can say whatever they want, but the U.S. knows Pakistan\u2019s role very well and the world is oblivious to our role\u201d.<\/p>\n
The foreign minister said the peace and stability in Afghanistan would ensure development and regional connectivity. However in case of a setback, Afghans would suffer the most, he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday said as Kashmiris wanted a full-fledged restoration of statehood of Jammu and Kashmir, the claim of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi to fulfill such demand \u201cat some opportune time\u201d was entirely \u201cvague and against the interest of […]<\/p>\n
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