Islamabad: In a clear message that Pakistan has back downed from its war mongering stand over Kashmir, the country’s foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, said that war is not an option to deal with Kashmir issue.
The Pakistani Minister was speaking in an interview to BBC Urdu when he made this statement. He reminded the interviewer that Pakistan never followed an aggressive policy and preferred peace. He also said that his country has offered for talks repeatedly.
The toning down of Pakistan’s earlier belligerent stand comes after the country was snubbed by all the major global powers concerning Kashmir issue. Even the Muslim countries of the world chose to remain silent and backed India’s right to abrogate Article 370.
Besides world powers demanded that Pakistani leadership tone down their aggressive stand against India. While India went about scrapping Article 370 and ensuring peace and development in the region, Pakistan had been vocal and aggressive on the issue. Their stand was threatening the peace which made the global powers advice the Islamic country for restrain.
Earlier, Pakistani Prime Minister, Imran Khan, had given several veiled threats of a nuclear war if the world ignored Kashmir issue. However, India has called the bluff and is going ahead with its plans to fully integrate Kashmir with India.
Pakistan’s Railway Minister also went to the extent of claiming that India and Pakistan would go to war in October or November and said that it would be the last war between the two countries.
Today’s statement from the Foreign Minister of Pakistan comes as a sudden withdrawal from their earlier stand and could be attributed to the global pressure that the country is facing.
Added to this is the economic turmoil that Pakistan is undergoing at the moment. The country is on the verge of being blacklisted at the Financial Action Task Force, an international organization that monitors terror funding and money laundering.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi, however, reiterated his country’s stand that Kashmir issue is not bilateral.
Meanwhile, Indian Foreign Minister, S. Jayashankar, said that India is willing to discuss outstanding issues bilaterally with Pakistan only in an atmosphere free of terror and violence.
Jayashankar’s statement comes amid his discussion with European Union Commissioner, Christos Stylianides.
