India evading efforts towards better environment for humanity: FM Qureshi

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Sunday said India was evading efforts towards better environment for humanity by harping on the same string of levelling unfounded allegations of terrorism on Pakistan, ARY News reported.

“We attempted to hold talks with India for development of the region, now the world will have to see that who is striving to attain peace and who is eluding it,” he said while addressing a press conference in Washington.

He said first the Indian government agreed to negotiations, but then it created such a situation to deviate people’s attention from internal matters. He said India’s this conduct was against diplomatic norms.

“Pakistan is not hesitant to discuss terrorism being faced by both the nuclear-armed countries. We have solid evidences of India’s involvement in Balochistan. Everybody knows who is Kulbhushan Yadev and from where he came to Pakistan,” he said.

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To a query about the United States’ inclination towards India, he said the US wanted to make India its strategic partner in the region, while it had always yielded benefits by friendship with Pakistan. He said Pakistan needed to manage ties with Washington.

Mehmood Qureshi said they would listen to what America had to say, however they were not bound to follow it. “We will give priority to Pakistan’s interests and needs.”

He said Pakistan wanted those who were hiding in Afghanistan to shun weapons and sit on table for talks.

The foreign minister said lacs of armless people were raising voice for self-determination in Kashmir. He said the neighbouring country was avoiding to fulfill the demands of UN resolutions on Kashmir conflict and its own intellectuals had declared India’s Kashmir police as abortive.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Ambassador to United Nations Dr Maleeha Lodhi has said that the foreign minister in his address to the UN General Assembly on Saturday will highlight Pakistan’s stance on regional and global issues.

Talking to media in New York on Sunday, she said Shah Mahmood Qureshi will also attend an event on peacekeeping which has been convened by the secretary general of the UN.

She said that he will interact with contact groups of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on different issues including Kashmir and will also give interviews with different media channels. She said that he will address to an event of Asia Pacific Society which is a prestigious event where will table the new vision of the government.