*ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statement in which he reportedlysaid he saw a better chance of peace talks with India if Prime MinisterNarendra Modi’s party wins the general elections was taken out of context.*
This was stated by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi during a meetingof Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs in Islamabad on Thursday.He was responding to questions put to him by members of the panel.
“I am familiar with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s standpoint about Modi,” hesaid, adding the premier’s statements about Modi’s past were on record.
He said PM Khan’s statements referring to the Indian prime minister’slinks with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) – a terrorist organisation– were also available.
“You are saying Imran Khan is not Modi’s friend,” asked Senator MushahidHussain Syed, who chaired the meeting.
“We are neither anybody’s friend nor helper,” replied FM Qureshi.
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Some media reports had quoted the prime minister as saying, “Perhaps if theBJP – a right-wing party – wins, some kind of settlement in Kashmir couldbe reached.”
The foreign minister further said it was for the people of India to decidewho will win the general elections there.
Senator Sitara Ayaz, however, suggested a clarification should have comefrom the PM Office in this regard.
Taking exception to the prime minister’s statement, senator Sherry Rehmansaid the purpose of his statement was beyond her comprehension.
