‘No change in India policy’: FO clarifies FM Bilawal’s statement

FO spokesperson says foreign minister’s remarks at ISSI taken out of context

ISLAMABAD:

The Foreign Office said on Friday there was no change in Pakistan’s policy on India on which there was national consensus, clarifying that Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s remarks the other day were interpreted out of context and portrayed incorrectly.

In a statement, Foreign Office spokesperson said that the foreign minister’s remarks were better understood in the overall context of his key message of conflict resolution that he emphasised in his address at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) on Thursday.

In response to media queries about remarks made by the foreign minister regarding relations with India in his address at the ISSI, the spokesperson stated that these were being interpreted out of context and portrayed incorrectly.

Read more: Bilawal makes pitch for re-engagement with India

Referring to India’s illegal and unilateral actions in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) since August 5, 2019, the spokesperson said, the foreign minister described them as an assault on the rights of the Kashmiri people.

He added that the Foreign Minister Bilawal also dilated on rising Islamophobia in India that had created an environment unconducive for a meaningful engagement. “The foreign minister’s remarks are better understood in the overall context of his key message of conflict resolution that he emphasised in his address at the think-tank event,” the spokesperson added.

Read Bilawal for tapping vast scope in Pak-Iran trade

“Pakistan has always desired cooperative relations with all its neighbours, including India. We have consistently advocated constructive engagement and result-oriented dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues, including the core Jammu and Kashmir dispute,” the spokesperson said.

“It is, however, India’s unabated hostility and retrogressive steps that have vitiated the environment and impeded the prospects of peace and cooperation. The onus, therefore, remains on India to take the necessary steps to create an enabling environment conducive for meaningful and result-oriented dialogue.”