Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi Saturday said that Washington should not view relations with Pakistan through the perspective of the Afghan issue or the ties with India. Talking to the media in Multan after completing his 10-day visit to the United States, the foreign minister said that he had presented Pakistan’s stance on key global and regional issues at the United Nations in a clear and vivid manner.
The minister said that everything could not be achieved in one meeting, adding that efforts would be continued to bring the US-Pakistan relations on track. “Pakistan’s sacrifices in war on terror must be acknowledged,” he added.
“The UN is a global forum and it needs to be made more effective for the resolution of issues being faced by the regions and countries.”
Qureshi went on to say that he had demanded a commission of inquiry into the United Nation’s report, adding that voices were being raised against Indian violence in Held Kashmir on international forums. “Kashmir dispute is not new but its nature has change,” he added.
Commenting on the meeting with his US counterpart, he said that several issues were discussed in the meeting. The foreign minister said that the US’s stance had changed after his meeting with the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
He said Pak-US relations could not be undermined easily. “The relations with US are improving gradually. I have made it clear to the US authorities that Pakistan wants bilateral relations with Washington based on mutual respect and reciprocity.”
When asked about his statement eon the arrest of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif, Qureshi said that the arrest was a court matter and the ex-Punjab CM had the right to contest his case.
He said that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) took decision of Sharif’s arrest after investigation and that the anti-graft watchdog was an independent institution.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has not made cases against the opposition leader, he said, adding: “We must respect the courts.”
Published in Daily Times, October 7th 2018.
