India facing isolation at international forums due to aggressive behaviour: Qureshi

(Karachi) Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that India is facing isolation and defeat at international forums due to its aggressive behaviour.

In a statement on Wednesday, Qureshi said that India's objection over new political map of Pakistan at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting was rejected and even Russia as hosts of the summit did not second Indian objection.

He maintained Kashmir is a bilateral issue between Pakistan and India and such issues cannot be raised at the SCO. “Such issues are raised at the sideline meetings,” he added.

The foreign minister highlighted that India illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and it is an internationally recognised disputed territory and there are UN resolutions about the issue.

Qureshi mentioned that China had repeatedly offered to resolve issues with India at the de-facto border at Ladakh through dialogue but India adopted an aggressive posture and then faced humiliation.

On September 15, India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval walked out of the SCO session after his objection to Pakistan’s new political map as background display in the meeting was rejected.

Doval, who represented India, had raised an objection against Pakistan on the display of the political map as background for the meeting by falsely claiming that the new political map showed ‘sovereign Indian territories’ as part of Pakistan.

However, Pakistan, which was represented by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security Dr Moeed Yusuf, highlighted that as per international law India has no legal rights to claim the internationally recognized disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir as its territory.

Pakistan also categorically rejected India's assertions that the newly released political map included any part of Indian territory.

Furthermore, Pakistan emphasized that the new political map represented Pakistan's rights and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. It emphasized that Pakistan retains an abiding commitment to seeking a resolution of Jammu and Kashmir dispute through a free and impartial plebiscite in accordance with the UN Charter and the UNSC Resolutions.

The SCO agreed to Pakistan's position.