Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Saturday said provocative and negative statements by the Indian side can jeopardize regional peace.
“Desire for peace should not be taken as our weakness. Pakistan will respond to any misadventure by the Indian side,” the minister said while talking to reporters here. “Pakistan is a peace-loving country with no aggressive designs against anyone, but the statements coming from the Indian leadership can put the regional peace at stake,” he warned.
“We want resolution of all outstanding issues, including Kashmir, through peaceful means,” the minister said. He urged the international community to ask the Indian leadership to refrain from spewing negative propaganda. “Pakistan wants peace, stability, and progress of the region, which is not possible in a hostile environment,” he added.
“Pakistan is focusing on peace efforts to bring stability to Afghanistan as per the desire of the international community. Indian propaganda machine may force Pakistan to divert its attention from Afghanistan, which can be disastrous for peace in the region,” Qureshi maintained.
Talking about Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent visit to Turkey, the minister said Pakistan and Turkey have chalked out a five-year joint financial framework aimed at lifting the country’s economy. Terming the visit successful, Qureshi said one-on-one meeting of Turkish president and PM Khan lasted for more than two hours. “Mr Erdogan will visit Pakistan soon along with business leaders,” he revealed.
The minister said Pakistan and Turkey are on the same page on all issues of strategic importance. In a tweet, he noted that the leadership of both the countries will collectively transform their friendship into a more robust partnership.
He expressed pleasure over his meeting with Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara. He said a plan will be evolved on high-level cooperative council between Pakistan and Turkey.
Qureshi said a trilateral summit will also be held in Istanbul amongst Pakistan, Turkey and Afghanistan. He said the Afghan president has also responded positively to attend the summit.
Published in Daily Times, January 6th 2019.
