No backchannel diplomacy with India, clarifies Hina Rabbani Khar

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar on Thursday clarified that there was no backchannel diplomacy going on with India, ARY News reported.

During a session of the upper house of the Parliament today, Khar said that since the government had come into power, there was no backchannel diplomacy going on between Pakistan and India.

She further said that backchannel diplomacy was only desirable when it was result-oriented.

She expressed the possibility of talks if there was any opportunity and India comes to Pakistan’s demand. “It is duty of the politicians to do the rights things instead of coming on the way to diplomacy,” she maintained.

She said the messages, being received from India, were all conflagratory that was why; there were no talks on any kind of trade between the two neighboring countries.

Regarding BBC documentary, she said: “Banning BBC documentary in India put a big question mark on its credibility it professed of being the biggest democracy of the world”.

Her clarification came after Indian media reported that New Delhi has invited Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Atta Bandial to Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Read: INDIA INVITES FM BILAWAL, CJP FOR SCO MOOT

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which includes Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, and Central Asian States will be hosted by India this year. 

The SCO foreign minister’s meeting will be held in the Indian state of Goa in May 2023. The Chief Justice Of Pakistan is also invited to this important regional forum meeting.