ISLAMABAD – The Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Pakistan standsby its commitment of opening of Kartarpur corridor. He clarified thatAfghan trade will not be affected by Pakistan’s decision to suspend tradewith India.
He told a questioner that Pakistan is looking towards diplomatic andpolitical options in this situation and not military. However, it will takeproper safeguards as vigilance in the wake of deployment of nine hundredthousand Indian troops in the held valley.
Pakistan has communicated its concerns to the European Union on theunilateral step of revocation of special status of Kashmir by India, aspart of wider outreach efforts.
Briefing media in Islamabad on Thursday afternoon, Foreign Minister ShahMahmood Qureshi said he conveyed Pakistan’s concerns in a telephonicconversation with High Representative of the European Union for ForeignAffairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini this morning.
The Minister said he informed the EU Representative for Foreign Affairsthat Pakistan will take the matter to the UN Security Council.
He said he also briefed the EU official representing twenty-eight memberbloc about the possible far reaching and dangerous consequences of theIndian act of revoking Article 370.
The Minister said the Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar hadtold the EU Representative for Foreign Affairs that changing of status ofOccupied Kashmir was their internal matter and the step was aimed atsocio-economic development of the territory.
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Shah Mehmood Qureshi said he apprised Federica Mogherini that thisimpression is totally wrong and Pakistan rejects it out rightly. TheMinister questioned what kind of development is this that the Indianauthorities have turned the held territory into a jail. India has stationed900,000 troops and have taken the entire population hostage.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi quoted former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehrusaying, he had declared countless times that future of Kashmir will bedecided by goodwill and pleasure of Kashmiri people.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Federica Mogherini expressed the UE concern overescalating tensions in the region and also the European bloc’s desire fordialogue to resolve the Kashmir issue.
Foreign Minister said it was Indian act that escalated tensions and it NewDelhi that always avoided talks to resolve the issues between the twocountries. He said any initiative by the EU for talks between Pakistan andIndia will be welcomed.
