News Desk |
On Monday, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak pressed India to provide evidence on Pakistan’s involvement in the Pulwama attack as opposed to raising baseless accusations. ARY News reported that while talking to the media in parliament house, Khattak reprimanded India for being “fond of warmongering” and issuing baseless threats. “Pakistan is ready to provide a fitting response to India’s threats”, he asserted.
Defence Minister Khattak asserted Prime Minister Imran Khan’s invitations for dialogue and advised the BJP-led government to provide Islamabad with evidence of its allegation. He noted that the BJP leadership was keen to escalate tensions between the two countries in an attempt to win advantage in the upcoming Indian election. He expressed hope that the two nuclear states will soon settle their differences.
Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Imran Khan had also issued a statement seeking evidence from India to investigate the Pulwama attack, and in response to Modi statement, PM Khan had reasserted his offer for peace.
During an interview on Indian TV Show Aap Ki Adalat, Former Chief Minister of Indian-occupied J&K Mehbooba Mufti stated that Indian efforts and claims to diplomatically isolate Pakistan are nothing but a joke.
On Sunday, the Organization for Islamic Cooperation’s Contact Group on Kashmir responded to Pakistan’s request for an emergency meeting to discuss the growing repression and aggression against Kashmiris in Indian-occupied valley in the wake of the Pulwama attack.
The OIC Contact group on Kashmir issued a notification that stated its response to the request of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan “a meeting of the Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir at the level of Permanent Representatives will be held at the OIC General Secretariat on 26th February 2019 at 11 AM.” The meeting will be attended by the permanent ambassadors of the OIC member nations.
“Indian Claims of Diplomatically Isolating Pakistan are a Joke”
The Foreign Office revealed that on Sunday, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had spoken to German Foreign Minister, Heiko Mass, and briefed him of the regional situation in the wake of the Pulwama attack. FM Qureshi informed Mass that despite India’s attempts to threaten and malign Pakistan, Islamabad has maintained its “restraint” and seeks “actionable evidence” from New Delhi so the matter can be investigated.
Read more: India lashes out in frustration as it loses international face
The Foreign Office issued a statement to inform about FM Qureshi’s decision to cancel his trip to Japan, which was scheduled for 24th February following an official invitation from Tokyo. While speaking to Japan’s Foreign Minister Taro Kono, FM Qureshi gave an explanation of the “imperative” reasons that compelled him to stay back in Islamabad, considering the “extremely grave” regional tensions that are being brewed by New Delhi in the wake of the Pulwama attack.
FM Qureshi informed Japanese FM Kono of his letter to the United Nations, urging the UN Security General for assistance in preserving regional peace and stability and also urged Tokyo to play the same role as well.
Dr. Mohammad Faisal, spokesperson of the Pakistani Foreign Office shared a tweet last week to inform of FM Qureshi’s conversation with Nepali Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali on the “security situation in the region”. The tweet revealed that during the conversation with Gyawali, FM Qureshi emphasized that as a member of the SAARC regional cooperation, Nepal has a role to play for “peace and security in the region”.
Russia enjoyed India’s friendship but now it seeks to make good ties with Pakistan. Nepal and Sri Lanka also favor Pakistan over India, and the US needs Pakistan to negotiate peace with the Afghan Taliban”.
During an interview on Indian TV Show Aap Ki Adalat, Former Chief Minister of Indian-occupied J&K Mehbooba Mufti stated that Indian efforts and claims to diplomatically isolate Pakistan are nothing but a joke. She asserted that New Delhi seeks Kashmir without the Kashmiri Muslim population.
“Indian claims that Pakistan has been isolating are a joke, and it is evident that Indian efforts have failed to materialize. Pakistan has the support of the US, China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia”. Mufti noted that Pakistan was involved in CPEC with China, and while Russia was initially allied with India, it now favors Pakistan much more. She also noted, “Saudi Arabia refers to India as a friend, but it refers to Pakistan as its brother. Russia enjoyed India’s friendship but now it seeks to make good ties with Pakistan. Nepal and Sri Lanka also favor Pakistan over India, and the US needs Pakistan to negotiate peace with the Afghan Taliban”.
Read more: Post-Pulwama: Kashmiri spirit and Indian instability, both on rise
Mufti warned that both India and Pakistan are nuclear powers and any Indian misadventure would result in mutually assured destruction. She noted that while Pakistan will not have much to lose, India is a much bigger country and will yield significant losses in such a conflict. Mehbooba Mufti asserted that dialogue is the only way forward to settle the Kashmir dispute.
Mina Jahangir with additional input by News Desk.