SAM Staff, February 25, 2019
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Sunday launched a diplomatic offensive, to counter any moves by India to isolate Islamabad, following the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama.
According to a Foreign Office spokesperson, the foreign minister’s initiative aims to “expose the baseless propaganda” by the Indian government against Pakistan.
Qureshi called Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, as well as the foreign minister of Sri Lanka, Tilak Marapana and his counterpart in Nepal, Pradeep Kumar Gyawali.
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He shared with them the situation emanating out of the Pulwama attack and India’s stance against Pakistan.
The belligerent posture by India has imperilled the regional peace and tranquillity, Qureshi said in telephone conversations with the leaders.
Qureshi had earlier also written a letter to the UN Human Rights Commissioner to apprise the UN about the worsening human rights situation in Kashmir following the Pulwama attack.
He also sought UN intervention to help protect residents of Kashmir from rights violations.
Qureshi had earlier also held a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart who also emphasised the need for peace and called for restraint by the two nations.
The Pakistani minister also held a meeting with former foreign secretaries and envoys in order to formulate a strategy to navigate developments on the foreign affairs front.
According to the Foreign Office sources, the consultations with former diplomats were held in order to get their input so that a comprehensive and effective response could be devised to tackle emerging developments.
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The foreign minister, after the meeting, said the discussion with former secretaries over issues pertaining to foreign policy, including the situation in Indian-administered Kashmir, was helpful, adding that the ministry would try to continue the consultations in future.
In a media briefing after the meeting, Qureshi reiterated the Pakistani government’s desire for peace.
In the meeting that was also attended by Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, Qureshi sought the former envoys’ input and conveyed to India that Pakistan would not come under pressure of “New Delhi’s war hysteria”.