Qureshi questions timing of JUI-F march due to IOK crisis

Foreign minister says international observers welcome to visit AJK

MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday said that the government was "absolutely not afraid" of the Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl's (JUI-F) upcoming 'Azaadi March'.

Talking to reporters in his hometown of Multan, the minister said "It is their (JUI-F) democratic right but I had said earlier and I repeat that the timing is wrong and the date not suitable."

"October 27 is the cursed and black day when India had occupied Kashmir. It is the day when Indian forces had invaded Kashmir and hence the day is observed as a ‘Black Day’ every year", he said.

Qureshi added "The sentiments of the Kashmiri people will be hurt if the JUI-F links the day with domestic politics”.

"The nation does not approve of their choice of October 27 as the date of the march", he said, adding that, in his opinion, there was no need for the protest because the international focus was already on Kashmir and that the conduct of opposition parties on the Kashmir issue was in fact their political need.

Kashmir diplomacy

Speaking further on the Kashmir issue, he said "I don't think India is in a position to allow anyone to visit Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) where they have imposed a curfew and suspended basic rights".

"US Senator Chris Van Hollen told me that he wanted to visit IOK but was denied permission", he said, and asked why that was done if everything was, in fact, okay in IOK.

The foreign minister also said the senator had also expressed his desire to visit Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and had been facilitated in that regard. He also made it clear that if anyone, particularly from the United Kingdom (UK) Parliament or the European Union (EU) wanted to visit AJK, they would be facilitated. The US senator, he said, had also written a letter to US President Donald Trump urging his attention toward the ongoing IOK situation.

He also expressed his disappointment over the conduct of the Indian judiciary and the media, adding that the Indian media and judiciary were apparently under intense pressure from Hindu extremists. However, he said, the Congress and other opposition parties were opposing the Narendra Modi government’s stance on the Kashmir issue.

FATF

The foreign minister, while responding to a question, said "Pakistan had briefed the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in Bangkok about its viewpoint and also explained the measures taken by Islamabad to the FATF’s Asia-Pacific Group (APG)".

"I do believe that Pakistan — to a considerable extent — has satisfied its friends that it is serious about stopping money laundering and that we have taken solid steps to implement checks against the practice. The incumbent government has taken more steps in one year to stop terror financing than all steps taken in that regard over the last decade".

He further said that, despite Indian efforts to push Pakistan onto the FATF blacklist, Pakistan's viewpoint and efforts would be recognised at the FATF session in Paris.

CPEC

Speaking on the concerns expressed by the opposition parties regarding the pace of projects related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he termed their reservations on the issue unwarranted, saying "The opposition unnecessarily takes up the issue even though China and Pakistan are both satisfied and we have stepped up to the next phase [of CPEC]".

Foreign Minister Qureshi further said that Prime Minister Imran Khan, during his three-day official visit, would hold meetings with the Chinese president and prime minister as well as heads of different companies interested in investing in Pakistan.

Qureshi also said that the Chinese president would also visit India in the next few days, adding that China and Pakistan wanted to consult on different issues before the visit. He asserted that Pakistan and China enjoyed deep-rooted relations and had an unprecedented association.

Responding to another question, the foreign minister said that Iran and Saudi Arabia were Pakistan’s brotherly countries, and added that "we want to resolve misunderstandings between the two countries" because the region could not afford a conflict.