- Says Pakistan, China have identical stance on all regional & international issues
- Expresses concerns over date chosen for Azadi March
MULTAN, October 7: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi says Pakistan will go to any extent to help the oppressed people of occupied Kashmir to secure their due right to self-determination.
He was addressing the concluding ceremony of three-day Urs of Sufi saint Hazrat Bahauddin Zakariya in Multan on Monday.
The Minister said Pakistanis will be standing by their Kashmiri brethren until they get freedom from the Indian occupation. He said India must immediately lift curfew in occupied Kashmir and provide the Kashmiris their basic rights. He said there is complete communications blackout and acute shortage of medicines.
People have been denied the right to go to mosques and educational institutions. Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Kashmir issue is being debated at top world fora, including the United Nations and the Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir are being exposed.
The Minister said India denied access to US Senator Chris Van Hollen to visit occupied Kashmir and observe the situation there, whereas we facilitated a delegation of US senators to visit Azad Kashmir freely. Speaking about Afghanistan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the soil of Afghanistan needs peace now. We are extending our cooperation to bring peace and stability to the region. He said Prime Minister Imran Khan recently inaugurated 24/7 trade facility between Pakistan and Afghanistan through Torkham border. Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Prime Minister will meet his Chinese counterpart as well as President to discuss a host of issues during his three-day visit to China. He said schedule of meetings with private sector of China and business organizations has also been finalized.
He said China and Pakistan frequently discuss and coordinate on regional and international issues. He said both countries have same stance on all the issues, including Kashmir.
Replying to a question, Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Pakistan and China are moving in the next phase of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to further solidify their bilateral relations.
On another question, he said Pakistan has taken comprehensive measures to comply with the requirements of Financial Action Task Force. He expressed confidence that Pakistan’s viewpoint will be considered in next meeting of FATF in Paris. Shah Mahmood Qureshi said India’s denial of permission to US Senators is a testament that India is trying to hide facts from the world. He said Pakistan is open to any foreign delegation to visit Azad Kashmir to assess the situation there.
The Foreign Minister has said Pakistani nation has rejected the decision of Maulana Fazlurehman to hold sit in on October 27 as Kashmiris would be observing Black Day against Indian oppression on the same date. He said schedule of meetings with private sector of China and business organizations has also been finalized.
Qureshi said Prime Minister will meet his Chinese counterpart as well as President to discuss a host of issues during his three-day visit to China. He said China and Pakistan frequently discuss and coordinate on regional and international issues. He said both countries have same stance on all the issues, including Kashmir.-NNI
