Putting Kashmir issue behind scene: Qureshi, opposition leaders trade barbs in NA

ISLAMABAD: A verbal clash erupted between Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and opposition members when the two sides accused each other of putting the Kashmir issue behind the scene.

Responding to points of order from the opposition members, the foreign minister said the opposition parties highlighted their vested interests and staged sit-in while totally ignoring the Kashmir issue saying they did not speak a single word on Kashmir in the last two months.

The foreign minister said the PML-N was also busy in taking up health problems of the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

The remarks invited protest from opposition members particularly those belonging to PML-N and JUI-F terming remarks of the minister against the facts. Shah Mehmood Qureshi went on to say that the incumbent government in 15 months took such steps to effectively highlight Kashmir issue, which were not taken in the last 40 years.

On that PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal, who kicked off debate on Kashmir issue, said the Indian government dare not annex Occupied Kashmir in his party’s tenure. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while assuring that the government would never show any weakness on Kashmir issue, advised the opposition not to minimise government efforts in this connection. “With efforts of the opposition parties, the present government took effective measures to highlight Kashmir issue, which have no precedence in the past,” he said.

He rejected an impression that the international community did not accept stance of Pakistan on Kashmir saying US President Trump admitted Kashmir as disputed territory while top leadership of Turkey, Iran, Malaysia and France also took strong position on the vital issue. “We took up Kashmir issue with leadership of 70 countries,” he said.

The minister also invited the opposition leaders to visit Foreign Office and give their suggestions in this connection. The minister said since 1965, it was for the first time that the Security Council of the United Nations took up Kashmir issue amid opposition from India.

Ahsan Iqbal called upon the PTI government to declare diplomatic emergency on Kashmir. Regretting role of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC), he asked the government to disassociate itself from the organisation if it fails to call an emergency session of heads of Islamic states on Kashmir. “We do need this dead horse if it fails to hold a session particularly on Kashmir issue,” the PML-N parliamentarian said.

The minister took a strong exception to remarks of Ahsan Iqbal saying that OIC consists of 57 countries and Pakistan needs their support at different forums. Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Hina Rabbani Khar of PPP observed the whole nation is united on vital issue of Kashmir. Raja Pervaiz Ashraf regretted that the incumbent government has not been able to convince the world to force India to lift prolonged curfew in Indian Occupied Kashmir.