Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Newly-appointed Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Monday that Pakistan’s foreign policy must be redirected.

“We need to change the direction of our foreign policy,” Qureshi said while speaking at the Foreign Office shortly after being sworn-in as a member of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s cabinet.

He asserted that the country’s foreign policy will be reinvented and the Foreign Minister further highlighted that Pakistan wants peace and stability in the region.

The Foreign Minister once more reiteration Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statement that their government will make consistent efforts to make sure Pakistan is respected all over the world.

Qureshi further said that peace with India is the only solution and that both countries have no option but to engage in dialogue as the option of “adventurism”, cannot be afforded by either of the neighbors

“We are neighbors. We have long-standing issues and we are both cognizant of these issues. But we have there is no other option other than dialogue,” said Qureshi.

Qureshi further elaborates that Kashmir is the fundamental issue between the two countries and must be acknowledged. He also reaffirmed Paksitan’s commitment to the Islamabad declaration.

Qureshi also told the press that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written a letter to PM Imran Khan in which he has expressed the desire of initiating dialogue between the two countries.

The Foreign Minister is to visit Kabul as well. “I want to go with a loud and clear message for the people of Afghanistan. Our two countries share a future and geography, and must work together to start at the road towards progress.”

Further, the foreign minister said his party “supports the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)”.

“CPEC is a long-term project, a game changer and our party supports it,” he maintained.

Regarding the US, Qureshi said, “I have worked with the US in the past and I have worked with Richard Holbrooke, Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice.”

He said that he understands the concerns of the US but will remain determined in safeguarding Pakistan’s national interests and form a mutually beneficial relationship.

Qureshi also said, “Some international powers are trying to push Pakistan towards isolation and were able to achieve their objectives to a considerable extent in the absence of a Foreign Minister.”

Qureshi, however, said that he will not allow Pakistan to be isolated in the international scene.

Furthermore, he said that he will consult the officers working in the Foreign Office because he is aware of their competence and he will also approach former foreign ministers Hina Rabbani Khar and Khawaja Asif for guidance.

Responding to a question regarding austerity measures announced by PM Imran, he said they would keep in line with the government’s policies and that all appointments will be on merit.