NEW YORK:Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi said during his meeting with US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Imran Khan explained Pakistan’s clear, categorical and firm stance on Kashmir, Afghanistan and Iran.
“The prime minister talked on three issues. There was no ambiguity in it. It had no flexibility,” he said apprising newsmen here about the meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly session.
He said on Kashmir, the prime minister presented Pakistan’s clear stance that a humanitarian crisis had developed in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kahsmir where eight million people were living under siege with their basic human rights usurped.
He said President Trump was told that India would only listen to the United States so it should play its role. Both the US and the UN Security Council would have to play their part if they wanted to avert the bloodshed in the territory.
He said the prime minister also apprised the US leadership of Pakistan’s facilitative ad constructive role in the Afghan peace process that was also acknowledged by Secretary Pompeo. The prime minister reiterated that there was no-military solution of the Afghan issue and called for resumption of talks to move forward the peace process.
On Iran, the foreign minister said the prime minister made it clear to the US president that the region could not afford any other war as any imprudent action would draw drastic consequences.
However, on the prime minister’s offer of playing his role to ease the situation, the US president mandated him to talk with the Iranian leadership.
He said the prime minister would discuss the matter with the Iranian leadership to find a way out. During the Saudi visit too, the prime minister had viewed that the Iran issue should be resolved amicably.
To a question, the foreign minister said President Trump had expressed trust in the prime minister’s leadership and hoped that second interaction was also likely between the two leaders during the visit.
He said during the meeting, Trump had expressed concerns on the human rights violations in the occupied Kashmir. Qureshi said the world must know that India was the biggest hurdle in the regional peace. Even the Indian society was divided on their government’s actions in Kashmir, he added.
