ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain expressing dismay over India’s backtracking said today that the government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) wanted peace and stability in the region and talks was the only way to resolve all outstanding issues between Pakistan and India.
Reacting to Indian backtracking from the agreed meeting of Pak-India foreign ministers on the sidelines of UN General Assembly in New York, the information minister told PTV that Prime Minister Imran Khan had already declared that if Indian government would take one step, Pakistan would take two steps forward.
Fawad Hussain said Pakistan wanted peace in the region because of the fact that millions of people were living below the poverty line, adding Pakistan was desirous of focusing on the betterment of people as well as the region through improved ties with the neighboring countries including India.
He said the international community was watching which country stood with peace and stability and who was trying to sabotage the peace and dialogue process.
The minister said the Indian decision to backtrack from the foreign ministers’ meeting in New York next week just a day after its nod, showed that Indian cabinet was not on the same page and its government was under internal pressure.
He said Pakistanis were peace-loving people, while India had some extremist elements, adding, Inshallah there would be peace in the region.
Fawad said US, China and many other countries in the world wanted the resumption of dialogue process between Pakistan and India to resolve all issues, adding, Pakistan also wanted to move forward for the sake of peace and stability in the region.
A relevant piece published earlier:
India has unilaterally called off the meeting between Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj on the sidelines of UN General Assembly session in New York. The Spokesperson of Indian Ministry of External Affairs Raveesh Kumar said that the initiative has been taken over the killing of three policemen in occupied Kashmir as well as the release of postal stamps glorifying Kashmiri Mujahid Burhan Wani. He said talks with Pakistan in such an environment would be meaningless. Reacting to the Indian government decision of calling off the meeting, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi says India has wasted an opportunity of peace by refusing a meeting between foreign ministers of Pakistan and India on the sidelines of UN General Assembly in New York. He said Pakistan wants peace but unfortunately, India did not give a positive response. He said it is need of the hour that both sides sit together and hold talks for peace and stability in the region. He said apparently Indian government is facing pressure internally due to future elections. The Foreign Minister said Pakistan sincerely wants a resolution of all outstanding issues, including Kashmir, with India through negotiations on the dialogue table. Shah Mehmood Qureshi said dialogue is the only way forward to resolve all issues confronting the region. He said Pakistan has always extended an olive branch to India for the resolution of problems and enhancing bilateral ties in an amicable manner, but the latter does not come out of its internal politics. The Minister said it is the leadership, which has the mettle to solve problems on the negotiating table, but it seems India lacks this. He said Pakistan is ready for talks, but India is reluctant in this regard. The Minister said we can only wish India to come to the negotiating table, but we can neither pressurize anybody nor will accept the same for this purpose. Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the world wants connectivity and promote regional trade, but India is creating problems in this way. He said India’s stubbornness is also adversely affecting future of the SAARC countries.
