NewsOctober 01 , 2018
UN session: Pakistanis stand by their army, says FM
NEW YORK: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Saturday told the UN General Assembly that Pakistani nation is on the back of their army and India was actively involved in the terrorist attacks in Pakistan by providing financial assistance to the extremists.
"Kulbhushan Yadav, on the behest of the Indian government, planned terror attacks inside Pakistan," Qureshi said while addressing the representatives of the United Nations' 195 member states during the UNGA's 73rd session.
Speaking in Urdu, Qureshi said Pakistan sought resolution of all the issues through a comprehensive and serious dialogue. "The [Narendra] Modi government wasted an opportunity for a dialogue for the third time because of their negative attitude," he underlined.
"Postcolonialism and cold war have left its imprints in the region," he noted, adding that Pakistan would never forget the children killed in the 2014 Army Public School (APS) massacre.
The foreign minister said his country was engaged in the war against terrorism and its army, with the support of the masses, has ended the scourge from the country. "Peace has been restored in the cities and villages. In the years to come, we will be able to provide an economic corridor to connect western China and Central Asia with the seaport," he said.
The Jammu and Kashmir dispute was the biggest hindrance to peace in the region, Qureshi said, adding that the issue would not be resolved until the UN resolutions were implemented properly.
Referring to the first-ever report on Kashmir published by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights that had called for an international probe into the numerous violations, he said it had exposed India's face.
"We welcome the report. It has validated Pakistan's view," Qureshi stressed. "We call for the implementation on its recommendations. India cannot continue with the bloody mayhem on the pretext of terrorism for long. We will welcome a commission on occupied Kashmir. "We hope India will do it as well," he added, and warned that India should not test the patience of Islamabad by continuously violating the Line of Control (LoC).
The entire South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) had become dysfunctional due to the attitude of India, Qureshi lamented, adding that New Delhi promoted state-sponsored terrorism in the occupied Kashmir in front of the international community.
The foreign minister said his country was ready to hold a dialogue with its eastside neighbour to curtail the arms race between the two nuclear states.
Qureshi said Pakistan had concerns about the presence of Daesh in Afghanistan. “The two neighbouring nations "have been the target of foreign power's misunderstandings for long, he said. "We will continue to support the Afghan peace process," he said. The foreign minister called climate change "a serious issue", and said Pakistan was among those countries who were adversely being affected by the global warming. "We believe that the resolutions in the Paris conference should not be compromised for industrial interests," he said.
The minister informed the international community that Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government of Pakistan has planned to plant as many as 10 billion trees in the country.
Speaking at a press briefing after addressing the UNGA session, FM Qureshi said that India prioritises politics over peace. “One country has kept the entire South Asian region hostage. We are a self-respecting nation and we know how to protect our interests, country and viewpoints."
"Pakistan knows how to tackle India should it make a mistake," he said. He said Indian politicians are prisoners of their needs. Qureshi further added that a meeting between leaders of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan will be held in December to find a solution to the Afghan issue.
Moreover, FM Qureshi said that he will meet the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on October 2 to discuss bilateral matters. The report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Indian atrocities in Indian Held Kashmir (IHK) has revived interest in the lingering dispute at the international level, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said. "The continuing human tragedy in occupied Kashmir definitely struck a sympathetic cord among world leaders," Qureshi said, as he prepared to leave for Washington where he was set to meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in an effort to rebuild US-Pakistan relations.
The foreign minister said he had 54 interactions with delegates to the UNGA, including 22 bilateral meetings, and 11 multilateral meeting packed in his six-days here."I presented Pakistan''s case to my counterparts as representative of the new government," Qureshi said, adding that one of his priorities was to reconnect Pakistan with nations that previous government virtually ignored.
He thanked Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi for her leadership in preparing an imaginative programme for his visit and praised Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, who is accompanying him, as a competent and conscientious diplomat.
The foreign minister said he was glad to see that Pakistan was looked at with respect for its positive role at the United Nations, especially as a leading troop contributor to the UN peacekeeping operations. He said Guterres described Pakistan as a "privileged partner of the UN".
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Courtesy www.thenews.com.pk
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