Daily Times

qureshi-shah-mehmood-dtForeign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Saturday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) government will legislate on army chief’s extension by taking the opposition parties on board.

Talking to media here, he said the PTI government is waiting for a detailed judgment of the Supreme Court, adding the government will move forward after taking the opposition parties into confidence. He hoped that the opposition would demonstrate responsibility and cooperate with the incumbent government on the legislation.

Qureshi remarked that PTI government always respected courts and it did not create any hindrance. He said the PTI government gave extension to army chief within the ambit of law, however the apex court identified some areas regarding extension in the service of army chief and the PTI government will make legislation to address the ambiguities.

The legislation would also facilitate the future governments, Qureshi said, and added that Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa was given extension due to particular security challenges and in the best national interest. He observed that Pakistan is playing an important role in peace process in Afghanistan at present.

Qureshi hopes opposition will demonstrate responsibility and cooperate with the government

About Kashmir issue, he observed that Pakistan has achieved numerous successes at the international level. He stated that US is one of the important countries at international level. The Kashmir issue has been taken up twice in US Congress and the Congress was also questioning India about human rights violations in the held Valley, he said. The issue had been internationalized after five decades, he said, and added that a Kashmir Cell had also been set up at Foreign Office. He urged media to keep highlighting the issue of human rights violations in the held valley.

He stated that media should be the voice of innocent people of Jammu and Kashmir. There was a complete blackout in the occupied Valley, he said. The sit-in by JUI-F damaged the Kashmir cause as the issue was not taken up properly in the media, he added.

Separately, speaking at the second convocation of Air University here, Qureshi said the victory of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in elections in India driven by an extremist ideology and hegemonic ambitions is a serious challenge for Pakistan. He said a peaceful neighbourhood and a people-centric development agenda is Pakistan’s highest priority. However, Indian belligerent actions and rhetoric continued to imperil peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia, he added.

The minister said Pakistan has consistently demonstrated in words and actions that it wants peace in the region. Prime Minister Imran Khan, he said, inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor earlier in November, reaffirming the unshakable belief in the Quaid-i-Azam’s vision of Pakistan having interfaith harmony. At the same time, he added, Pakistan will always remain steadfast in advocating the case of people of Kashmir for their inalienable right of self-determination.