ISLAMABAD – Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has taken a strongexception to the statement of the US state department over PM Khan and MikePompeo telephone talk.
He has rejected the statement of the US state department.
Qureshi said on Friday that the US State Department’s readout on the phonecall between Prime Minister Imran Khan and Secretary of State MichaelPompeo is ‘contrary to facts’.
Earlier, the Pakistan Foreign Office categorically rejected the statementby the State Department regarding contents of a phone call between PrimeMinister Imran Khan and Mike Pompeo.
“Secretary Pompeo raised the importance of Pakistan taking decisive actionagainst all terrorists operating in Pakistan and its vital role inpromoting the Afghan peace process,” said the readout issued by the USauthorities.
The foreign minister in his press conference at the Foreign Office saidthat he directed the foreign secretary to issue an immediate rebuttal overthe statements issued from the Washington DC.
“Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in his conversation with the prime ministersaid he wanted a constructive and productive relationship. I am lookingforward to his visit and engage with him for peace and stability and lookand areas where both countries stand to gain,” the foreign minister added.Qureshi confirmed that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will arrive inIslamabad on September 5.
“We don’t share the same cordial relations with the US as we had before inthe past. The US authorities have to understand Pakistan’s view,” he said.”I believe that the meeting between Prime Minister Imran Khan and USSecretary of State will be very important.”
The foreign minister said that Pakistan no longer remains the darling ofthe West in the changing international political dynamics.
“We have a longstanding bilateral relationship with the US which has hadits ups and downs. This is an important bilateral relationship. In order tobring relations with the US to a past level; there is a need to understandthe situation and needs in Afghanistan,” he added.The foreign minister reiterated that Pakistan will have to make the USunderstand its genuine reservations over certain policy matters.