Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday urged the United States to use its influence to persuade India to come to the table for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute, a private TV channel reported.
In response to US President Donald Trump’s reiteration of offer to mediate between Pakistan and India on the decades-long Kashmir conflict, Qureshi said India is avoiding the talks and does not appear willing to negotiate on the matter. “India is involved in a bloodbath [in occupied Kashmir]. India insists it is a bilateral matter, but it is not even willing to come to the table for talks,” the foreign minister said.
“Trump offered mediation keeping in view the regional situation. We thank [him] for the offer, and we have expressed our willingness,” Qureshi said. “We want peace. Our focus right now is the Afghan peace process. If India tries to create any obstacle to the peace process in Afghanistan, then regional peace will suffer,” he said. “India won’t agree easily to the Kashmir talks. We urge the US to exercise its influence and persuade India [to come to the table],” he said, adding that he is also writing a letter to the United Nations secretary general in this regard.
Indian Minister for External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar earlier in the day rejected Trump’s reiterated offer to mediate between the two neighbours on Kashmir, saying any discussion on the disputed region will take place bilaterally and only with Pakistan.
