Daily Times

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi Saturday said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had inherited the trade deficit from the previous regime, which would take some time to rectify, a private TV channel reported.

“It will take some time to address the economic challenges … the masses will have to bear the discomfort for the time being,” he said while addressing a press conference in Multan. Correlating the ailing economy with human illness, the foreign minister said it also takes some time to recover after doctor gives a patient medicinal prescription. “It does not happen that a doctor give a patient medicines and he immediately gets well,” he said.

On relations with Afghanistan, Qureshi said he will visit Kabul on December 15 and discuss with Afghan leadership the parameters for long-term peace in the neighbouring country. To a query, he said when he last visited Kabul, he observed that there was dearth of wheat while we had it in abundance, so Pakistan gifted some to Afghanistan.

Qureshi said US President Donald Trump had requested Pakistan for their help in establishing peace in Afghanistan. “Those who would ask you to ‘do more’, are now seeking help,” he said, adding that Pakistan would keep playing its role for peace in Afghanistan.

The foreign minister said the Sikh community would now be able to travel visa-free to Kartarpur.”Pakistan is opening Kartarpur corridor as a message for peace, which has changed the hearts of the Sikh community,” he said. He said all the political parties were on the same page on Kashmir conflict.

Published in Daily Times, December 9^th 2018.