FM Shah Mehmood Qureshi. PHOTO: AFP
Talking to the media men here, the minister said that the Sikh community the world over had been demanding for the opening of this corridor for the last 70 years, and they had welcomed Pakistan’s goodwill gesture.
The minister said that the Indian cabinet approved this project. “It was my earnest desire that India’s foreign minister would have been here at the foundation laying ceremony. However, the Indian government sent its two ministers and we welcomed them with open hearts,” Qureshi said.
Qureshi said Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government want establishment of peace in South Asia. However, he did not see chances of any breakthrough until the general elections in India next year.
The minister stressed that peace in the region would help resolve economic problems of both the countries and generate employment opportunities. “Pakistan desires that it’s both borders -- eastern [with India] and western [with Afghanistan] should be peaceful,” he added.
Responding to a question about the statement of Indian army chief Gen Bipin Rawat suggesting that Pakistan should become a secular state, the foreign Minister said that Pakistan was an ideological state and the statement of Indian army chief did not make any difference.
Qureshi reiterated his call for creating the south Punjab province, keeping in view the population and administrative problems of Punjab. “South Punjab province is a mandate of our government,” the minister added. “It is included in the manifesto of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf.”
Qureshi said that opposition’s support was pre-requisite for the constitutional amendments for the creation of a new province. “I will soon contact Shahbaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for this purpose, he said, urging all the parties to support the initiative for South Punjab province.
The minister, however, announced that the government had decided to allocate separate development fund in the next budget to remove the sense of deprivation among the people of south Punjab. “That fund will be specifically utilised for the development of south Punjab,” he added.
Until the South Punjab province was created, the Foreign Minister went on to say, a secretariat was being constructed in region through an executive order so that the local people were spared of travelling to Lahore for resolution of the administrative issues.
Talking about the corruption, he said that the PTI would ensure across-the-board accountability without any discrimination. “Impartial accountability is the top priority of PTI government,” he said. “We want to eliminate corruption. All those people who looted the country should be held accountable.”
The minister defended the government’s economic measures, saying that the government inherited the ongoing problems from the previous governments. “Their resolution will take some time,” he added. Chief Minister’s Adviser Javed Ansari, Rana Jabbar and Khalid Waraich were also present on this occasion.
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