Qureshi denounces Jaishankar’s statement after Bilawal’s departure

MULTAN: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Saturday said that the Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar’s press conference after Bilawal’s departure from the SCO summit was against the diplomatic ethics and being a senior diplomat, he should not have spoken irresponsibly and unnecessarily.

Talking to journalists here at Babul Quraish, Qureshi said what India’s foreign minister said was also against the diplomatic etiquette as Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal went to India on their invitation.

“There was a thought that Bilawal should not go to India because of Hindutva thinking while the second thought was that this was an important regional forum and he should attend,” Qureshi added.

He said when a person like the foreign minister goes to India, there is some due etiquette for the host. “I think, despite differences with Bilawal, this has become a mockery of the entire nation. India is using terrorism as a shield. The August 5, 2019 actions were opposed not only by Pakistan but also from inside India and by indigenous Kashmiris. Pakistan’s seasoned diplomats should have advised Bilawal before his departure to India.”

Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Bilawal should have known that if he discusses bilateral issues at the SCO forum, there will be a reaction. “There is no victim of terrorism more than Pakistan. Before pointing fingers at Pakistan, India should see the dossier of Pakistan in which India was exposed. This dossier exposed terrorism and fanaticism of India,” he asserted. “What was Kulbhushan doing in Pakistan, Jaishankar should look into it. The spirit of SCO has been defeated,” he added.

On the prevailing political situation, Qureshi said: “The rulers are not looking at law, Constitution and equality for their purpose. Section 144 was imposed despite allowing the rally in Multan and Lahore. We are moving court against the ban on rallies in Multan. The Supreme Court has acted with restraint despite the attack on the bench.”

He observed the visit of foreign ministers of Afghanistan and China to Pakistan was a continuation of the bilateral forum. The purpose of this forum is how they can help Afghanistan by playing the role of good neighbours, and China’s foreign minister has said a lot of meaningful words.

Criticizing the government, Qureshi said: “The rulers are double-minded today. The PTI had told the court that political parties should get a chance for a political get-together. Many things have been agreed, including a joint election monitoring setup accepting the results after the elections. However, the government did not care about it and Nawaz Sharif has issued his decision that they do not accept the decision of three or two. We tried everything possible but when they remained stubborn, we filed a reply in the Supreme Court.

“The rulers want to present the budget despite bringing a storm of inflation on the people in one year and if no agreement is made with the IMF, how will they present the budget?” he questioned.

“Ishaq Dar says they have nothing to do with the attack on Pervaiz Elahi’s house. The PPP’s attitude was appropriate in the negotiations, unlike PML-N which is divided on negotiations. Ishaq Dar and Saad Rafique are negotiating but Khawaja Asif and Javed Latif oppose such a move. The PDM is divided on the issue of negotiations, especially Maulana,” said the PTI leader.