Govt fighting against Covid-19 with full force: Qureshi

FM says Indian actions disturbing region’s peace

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday said the government is utilising all available resources to stem the coronavirus spread, as the countrywide tally for the infected cases surged past 120,000.

“Covid-19 pandemic is growing rapidly in Pakistan. We as a nation must take precautionary measures to defeat this deadly disease,” he said while presiding over a meeting on the global pandemic situation, regional and national security.

SAPM to the PM on National Security Moeed Yousuf, Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood and senior officials from Foreign Ministry and military were among the attendees.

The meeting discussed various foreign policy issues, including the implications of the coronavirus pandemic and the law and order situation in the region.

According to the data available with The Express Tribune, the nationwide tally of Covid-19 patients stands at 123,201 with 45,463 cases in Punjab, 46,828 in Sindh, 15,787 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 7,335 in Balochistan, 1,018 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 6,236 in Islamabad and 534 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The virus has so far claimed 2,408 lives while around 38,547 coronavirus patients have recovered.

Discussing regional issues, the FM said, on the one hand, the world is engaged in dealing with a global pandemic like Covid-19 and on the other hand India wants to undermine the peace and stability in the region through its Hindutva policies.

“The Indian occupation forces are wreaking havoc on unarmed and brave Kashmiris, who are facing the worst curfew from the last ten months. The list of Indian crimes against humanity is getting longer,” Qureshi said.



For peace to prevail in the region, the international community must take note of the situation, he said, adding that today, voices are being raised from within India against the incumbent government. “The extremist face of India has been exposed to the world.”

The meeting also discussed in detail the efforts for lasting peace in Afghanistan. It was highlighted that Pakistan will continue to play its conciliatory role in the Afghan peace process with sincerity.

Recently, the US special envoy for the Afghan peace process visited Pakistan and the Taliban leaders in Qatar. And, according to sources, the visit raised hopes for the end of the nearly 18-year-long war.

Pakistan wants peace and stability in the region, Qureshi said while referring to Afghanistan in a statement issued later in the day.

“Our focus is on Afghanistan,” he said, “We are focused on advancing the Afghan peace process.”

The statement also reads the prevailing situation in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K) and Indian actions damaging regional peace.

The FM reiterated that the country wants a solution to the Kashmir issue, saying that Islamabad would continue to speak out against “India’s barbarism”. “If India thinks that we will back away from supporting Kashmiris with their threats, then it is their misunderstanding that they should get rid of,” he added.

“Our position is principled and we stand by our principle,” Qureshi said. He warned India that any foolishness would be responded to bluntly, fully and immediately.

“The UN Security Council and the Organisation Islamic Cooperation resolutions strengthen our principled position on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.”