Qureshi warns India of befitting response to any possible misadventure

MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Monday warned India of a befitting response to any possible misadventure it initiates.

Speaking to the media here in the city, Qureshi said the situation in occupied Kashmir was not hidden from anyone in the world. It was expected that India would soften its aggressive stance in the Muslim-majority region but unfortunately, that did not happen, he added.

The Himalayan region has been under a brutal curfew and communications blackout for more than nine months since August 5, 2019, when India scrapped its special status.

"India should expect a befitting response to any possible misadventure," the minister added. "Pakistan has been warning the world that there are people who are harming the peace process."

The global powers should take notice, Qureshi appealed, adding that India was "planning an adventure" in the region. The government of Pakistan desired a conducive environment for peace, he mentioned.

Daesh to be confronted

Qureshi also spoke on the developments taking place in the rest of South Asia and condemned the terrorist attacks in Kabul and Nangarhar. The foreign minister termed the US-Taliban peace agreement "a major development". Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his rival, Abdullah Abdullah, have also struck a power-sharing deal, he added.

He said Daesh's role in the region was not hidden from anyone either and that the terrorist group had to be confronted as well.

Coronavirus and agriculture sector

The foreign minister commented on the ongoing coronavirus crisis as well, saying if there was any sector that could get Pakistan out of the pandemic, it was agriculture.

"We hope that the reduction in diesel prices would help the agriculture [sector]," he said. "A package worth Rs65 billion is being introduced to cut down the prices of fertiliser."

He said thousands of Pakistanis stranded abroad due to a suspension of international flights had been brought back home by the government and that another 110,000 Pakistanis wished to return.

However, quarantining those who were returning from foreign countries was "a major issue", Qureshi noted, explaining that the government was trying to increase the capacity.

Sugar inquiry report

Qureshi said the "sugar mafia report" had been made public and that "forensic was being carried out in response to the questions that arose following its release".

The forensic report, he added, could be released any time since the team involved had asked for an additional three-week period, which ended yesterday.

On the death of the Chinese ambassador to Israel, Du Wei, he said he would not make any speculations at the moment.