India wants to escalate matters with Pakistan: FM Shah Mahmood Qureshi

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday said India wants to escalate the matters with Pakistan, ARY News reported.

This he said while responding to the call attention notice in the National Assembly, here today.

Qureshi said India tried to escalate the situation in the wake of Pulwama incident, despite the fact that Pakistan had no connection with it and this has been recognized by the world as well.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Pakistan’s strategy has remained to defuse the tension with India through goodwill gesture such as the release of Indian pilot Abhinandan as well as their 360 fishermen.

The FM said, Pakistan is actively taking up the issue of release of its prisoners suffering in the jails of India.

He urged New Delhi to take practical steps for the release of the Pakistani fishermen jailed in India.

Earlier, the Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Andleeb Abbas told the House that 585 Pakistani prisoners including 210 fishermen are languishing in Indian Jails.

She said India will release four Pakistani fishermen on Tuesday next.

Earlier in the month of March, Joint Parliament session had unanimously adopted a resolution against Indian aggression tabled by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

The resolution stated that following the Pulwama attack, India levelled baseless allegations against Pakistan, but failed to provide evidence supporting their allegations to Islamabad despite repetitive offers by Pakistan.