Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that the Pakistani government is ready for talks with India.
In an exclusive interview with International media, Qureshi was asked by Dominic Waghorn on World View whether Pakistan had plans to liberate Kashmir.
“The prime minister is saying ‘wake up’. The situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir is deteriorating by the day. And it isn’t just the prime minister ─ the United Nations and the All-Parties Parliamentary Group constituted by the House of Commons are all saying that; voices in India are talking about how they’re losing, how they’re alienating Kashmiris and that it’s a lost cause. So this voice is growing all over,” the foreign minister responded.
Waghorn noted that “there are many in Kashmir who don’t want freedom on Pakistani terms”, to which Qureshi said: “Fine, let’s have a plebiscite. Let the people decide. That’s a commitment, that’s a commitment by India as part of the UN agenda. Give the people the right to self-determination, and whatever they decide, Pakistan will accept.”
The host observed that the back and forth between Pakistan and India had continued “for decades”, and asked why both sides “won’t sit down in the spirit of friendliness”.
“Through your programme, I’m telling the Indians ‘Let’s sit and talk’. I’m ready. Are they?” Qureshi challenged.
