By Asghar Ali Mubarak
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Wednesday that the country is raising a strong voice on every platform for exposing the real face on India and ongoing atrocities of Indian troops against Kashmiris.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi, while chairing a high-level meeting at the Foreign Office (FO) regarding regional peace, said that the Hindutva ideology of the Indian government and its aggressive policies have posed serious threats to the regional peace and stability.
The meeting was attended by PM’s Special Assistant on National Security Division and Strategic Policy Planning Moeed Yusuf, Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood and other senior officials. He said that India is trying to cover up its human rights’ violations by committing ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC).
Qureshi said that New Delhi wanted to sabotage the ongoing reconciliation process in Afghanistan which would disturb the regional peace. The foreign minister demanded the international community to take notice of the illegal moves of India besides playing its due role to help unarmed Kashmiris.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday said Pakistan was witnessing a downturn in the coronavirus cases with the number of recovered cases outnumbering the tally of active cases.
In conversation with his United Arab Emirates (UAE) counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Qureshi said that a result of government’s efforts and smart lockdowns in various cities, the coronavirus curve had started to flatten. Qureshi, who has recently recovered from the virus, thanked Al Nahyan for inquiring about his health. He also apprised the UAE foreign minister of the latest virus situation in Pakistan. The foreign minister congratulated the leadership and the people of the UAE on the successful launch of its Mars-bound interplanetary mission. He conveyed that the launch of the mission, Hope Probe, was a moment of pride for all Muslims.
According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office, Al Nahyan appreciated the response of Pakistan’s government in tackling the pandemic. He also highlighted the efforts of UAE’s government towards controlling the pandemic and shared that the Emirate was engaged with efforts towards developing a vaccine for the virus in collaboration with its international partners. The two ministers agreed to meet as soon as the pandemic is over, said the statement.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Wednesday said the changing regional situation needed special strategy to deal with new challenges and stressed the importance of credible research work to better understand the scenario.
The foreign minister expressed views during his visit to Institute of Regional Studies (IRS)in Islamabad where he inaugurated the new building of the think-tank. Qureshi said the 21st century belonged to Asia with China as emerging major economic power. “In this regard, we need to work with China to promote multilateral cooperation and focus on regional stability,” he said. The foreign minister said the responsibilities of Institute of Regional Studies had multiplied in current regional situation and emphasized on bringing international research to the forefront.
“We will use all possible efforts and resources to make this institution more active,” he said.
Earlier, the Foreign Minister inaugurated the new building and recorded his impressions in the visitor’s book. Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood and President IRS Ambassador Nadeem Riaz were present.