Daily Times

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday said a section of Afghanistan, on behest of India, is making allegations against Pakistan and asked India to stop putting at stake the region’s peace.

“We want India not to play the role of a spoiler by extending support to such factions.” the foreign minister said in his statement on the current regional scenario in Afghanistan and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The foreign minister said Pakistan desired peace in Afghanistan and was concerned about the deteriorating situation. He reiterated a political solution to the Afghan problem through dialogue, adding that the world was acknowledging Pakistan’s stance that “there was no military solution to the Afghan problem”. He mentioned that Pakistan was in consultation with the neighboring countries of the region for concerted efforts for peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Qureshi said he had invited his Afghan counterpart to visit Islamabad and hold talks to sort out any misunderstandings. Earlier, he said, the visit of the Afghan delegation was postponed on the request of their own government. He said peace in Afghanistan would benefit the whole region, including India. He said a deliberate campaign of maligning Pakistan through fake news was on the rise and mentioned that Afghan media was spreading a false and fabricated statement attributed to him.

On the situation in IIOJK, he said the recent letter of the members of European Parliament to president of European Commission exposed the fact that there was any normalcy in the Valley following India’s illegal act of August 5, 2019. He said a free parliamentary forum of the world had acknowledged Pakistan’s stance over the ongoing human rights crisis in IIOJK.

He mentioned his letters on the subject addressed to the United Nations Secretary General and President of the UN Security Council that highlighted the continuous atrocities of Indian security forces against innocent Kashmiris.

Qureshi said Pakistan would continue to extend political, moral and diplomatic support to Kashmiris and mentioned that there was a consensus on the matter in parliament. He called upon the international human rights watchdogs to take notice of the human rights violations in IIOJK.

The foreign minister condemned the Indian pressure and restrictions on cricket players regarding the Kashmir Premier League, and said sports should not be politicized. He said Pakistan would have no objection if India conducted such sporting events in the Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, adding that India must review its negative attitude.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office spokesperson on Monday regretted a certain section of media for misquoting and twisting the remarks of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi about the need for peace and stability in Afghanistan through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process.

FO Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri in response to media queries on the foreign minister’s comments regarding Daesh and Taliban said, “His remarks cannot be in anyway be misconstrued as advocacy for a particular side in the Afghan conflict”.

“In fact, the Foreign Minister clearly spoke about consensus among the international community, the regional players and the Afghans themselves against the menace of terrorism,” the FO spokesperson said. “We have repeatedly stated that Pakistan has no favourites in Afghanistan. We see all sides in the conflict as Afghans who need to decide about their future themselves,” he added.

He said Pakistan would continue to play a constructive facilitation role in the Afghan peace process. “Pakistan reiterates that right now, all energies should be focused on finding an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan,” he added.