Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi Saturday said the threat of aggression by India is still present. “However, Pakistan wants to resolve all issues through diplomacy … military engagement is always the last resort,” the foreign minister told a press conference along with Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar here at the Governor’s House. “It is easy to start a war but too difficult to end it,” he maintained. “Narendara Modi is playing with the fire … and it is very dangerous for stability and peace in the region,” he added.
Qureshi announced that Pakistan has decided to approach the members of British and European parliaments to seek their help in de-escalating the ongoing conflict between Pakistan and India. “We are not only contacting regional countries but also countries outside the region,” he said. “We have decided to write letters to the members of House of Commons and the European Parliament,” he said. “The world needs to differentiate between those who want peace and those who want war,” he said, and added that he will ask the British parliamentarians to move motions in their parliament seeking end to ongoing conflict between the two countries. “I’ll write letters to members of British parliament to convince the international community to play their role in the ongoing situation,” said Ch Sarwar, who has himself remained a member of the British parliament and enjoys cordial relations with lawmakers in the European parliament as well. He said US Congress will also be approached to play its role as “all wars end at the dialogue table.”
Minister says Pakistan has decided to approach UK, EU parliamentarians to seek their role in de-escalation of tensions with India
Speaking on the occasion, Qureshi said Russia has agreed to play its role as a mediator between the two countries and “we are ready to accept Russian mediation.” “I had already informed my Russian counterpart during my visit to Moscow that Narendara Modi will put the peace of South Asia at stake in order to win the elections … and my fear proved true as he did the same,” he said.
“As far as the diplomatic front is concerned, the Foreign Office had been activated even before the Pulwama attack,” Qureshi said. “This was because we had an idea that elections are coming in India and the Modi government was losing its popularity. In India, an easy way to regain popularity is Pakistan bashing. So we knew that a misadventure could happen, through which they could try and regain their lost goodwill,” he said. The minister said the captured Indian pilot was not released due to any external pressure but as a goodwill gesture for those millions of Indians who want peace. “Majority of Indian population also wants peace in the region and we appeal to them to restrain Modi from any further hawkish adventure,” he said.
Published in Daily Times, March 3rd 2019.
