Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that no diplomatic dialogue is possible with India as long as government atrocities in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir prevail.
Speaking to media on Wednesday, he said: “There is no possibility of a backdoor or diplomatic dialogue with India in the prevailing situation and it is not possible until the Indian atrocities are stopped in Kashmir. The circumstances are not suitable for any dialogue at the moment.”
Multiple ceasefire violations by Indian troops along a Line of Control this month have strained the relations between Pakistan and India. The foreign minister stressed that no cordiality can be expected between the two in the current environment.
In the meeting, the foreign minister also commented on the government’s rejection of the 34 amendments to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws proposed by the opposition parties, claiming the government “smelled an National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO)” within the demands.
“We told them that both the parties remained in power for 10 years and were in a position to amend the NAB laws, but failed, which is their negligence not ours. However, if you still want amendments, we can discuss it but it should not be linked with legislation in connection with the FATF and should be discussed separately,” he said. “I… categorically state that there is a capacity to improve the NAB laws, but we will not strike any deal.”
Additionally, the foreign minister reiterated that the opposition alliance is welome to offer resignations. The government is ready for dialogue with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM); however, it will not concede to pressure at the expense of national interests, he stressed.
