Mirwaiz says India shouldn’t be irked with Qureshi’s call

OCCUPIED SRINAGAR: Kashmiri leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has told New Delhi that his conversation with Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi ‘should not irk’ India.

He was responding to Indian objections over a telephone call between him Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

‘My conversation with the foreign minister should not irk India if it believes in dialogue to resolve the Kashmir issue, he was reported as saying by the Indian media.

The Pakistani FM assured me that the Imran Khan government was sincere about resolving all disputes with India, and opening of the Kartarpur Corridor was one such practical step, he further added.

“Pakistan was eager to engage with the new government in New Delhi, post Lok Sabha polls, Mirwaiz quoted Qureshi as saying.

“I believe Imran Khan is open to suggestions and has a good understanding. Last time we met him in Pakistan, he was extremely sincere. He wants to prove that he is ready to walk the extra mile,” Mirwaiz said.

“I fail to understand why there is so much of negative reaction from India, he said.

Pakistan also rejected Indian objections over the telephone call bwteeen the two leaders.

The Government of Pakistan categorically rejects the objections raised by India to the Pakistan Foreign Minister's telephonic call to All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, it said in a statement.

“We would like to reiterate that Kashmir is an outstanding dispute between India and Pakistan, and acknowledged as such through UN Security Council resolutions as well as numerous Pakistan-India documents including the Simla Agreement and Lahore Declaration.”