Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Sunday said the government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would defeat the Pakistan Democratic Movement in case it tabled a no-confidence move, as proposed by Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Talking to the media after attending the chehlam of late Husnain Bhutta, a religious leader, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Bilawal Bhutto acknowledged the democratically elected government by extending proposal of tabling a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
“Now, Bilawal should shun term “selected” and, call elected PM. ‘No-confidence motion’ is part of constitution,” he said, adding that now Bilawal had admitted that it was a democratically elected government.
Qureshi also maintained that the PDM lacked unity and similarly, and said that the unnatural alliance had collapsed. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam has also been divided into groups, he claimed.
Responding to a question about Justice (r) Azmat Saeed as chairman of the Broadsheet Probe Committee, Qureshi remarked that the opposition would not agree on any name. He, however, added that if opposition had “clean hands” then it should not worry.
The PTI government has no relation to Broadsheet agreement or its suspension, said Qureshi. He added that PM Imran Khan wanted an inquiry to make things clear.
About submission of party asset details with the Election Commission, the minister stated that the PTI had handed over a list of 40,000 donors.
Now, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) should also submit details of donors, Qureshi said. To another question, he said that Kashmiris and minorities were not safe in India. “Pakistani diplomats would not participate in ceremonies of Republic Day of India.”
Responding to a query regarding new United States administration and the Afghan peace process, Qureshi remarked that Pakistan and United States had the same policy on Afghanistan, as the both countries wanted peace there. “Pakistan believes that there is no military solution of Afghanistan issue. Pakistan, in its meetings with different United States delegations, always supported the dialogue process for restoration of peace in Afghanistan.”
“Reduction in violence leads to ceasefire”, the FM said. He informed that he wrote a letter to the new minister of foreign affairs US, and apprised him of different developments on the regional front.
Qureshi hoped that the relationships between Pakistan and the new US administration would further improve. He stated that now Pakistan was shifting from geo-strategic to geo-economic position. He urged the new US administration of President Joe Biden to recognise that the world, Pakistan and specifically India have changed a lot in the last four years; hence any engagement and relations should be developed on the basis of new ground realities. “India has changed. Is it the same shining and secular India today? No.” He pointed out that voices from within India were rising and confirming that it is not a secular India, it is “a new face of Hindutva, a new practical demonstration of the thinking of the RSS. Minorities in India are finding themselves to be insecure.”
The foreign minister said based on this new reality, the PTI government hoped to engage with the new US administration based on a “new approach and new guidelines”.
Replying to a question on Turkey and Azerbaijan, the foreign minister observed that Pakistan and Turkey had supported Azerbaijan as per resolutions of the United Nations. People of Azerbaijan paid a rich tribute to Pakistan for this support, he said. He categorically stated that Pakistan had not made any agreement, which could damage interests of any brotherly country.
About internal challenges, Qureshi stated that he himself inspected different locations in the city and checked quantity as well as quality of flour.
He expressed satisfaction over the availability of flour in the city, and said the government was importing wheat as per requirement and taxes on wheat import were reduced or lifted to meet shortfall. About the increase in prices of electricity and petrol, Qureshi held the last regime responsible. He stated that the PML-N government contracted costly agreements. He added that the incumbent government was planning the best management and delivery strategies to check inflation ratio.
Responding to another question about no punishment to mafias, Qureshi maintained that it was very first time that the government was fighting against the powerful mafia.
The government would continue exposing mafias, he said, adding that measures against mafia were being taken in a systematic way.
In his response to a question about appointments in different government organizations, he stated that the government was appointing the best persons in state entities as per constitution. The foreign minister also paid rich tribute to late Husnain Bhutta saying that he played vital role for maintaining unity and discouraging sectarianism.
