Pakistan’s peace overtures to India have been met with negativity: FM

NEW YORK: Interim Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on Wednesday said Pakistan’s “positive outreach and peace overtures,” including the opening of the Kartarpur corridor for visa-free visits from the Indian Sikh community, have been met with negativity.

“Pakistan desires peaceful and cooperative neighbourly ties with India,” he said in a speech at the Asia Society conference in New York. This is one of the several events that the foreign minister is attending in the lead-up to the United Nations General Assembly.

He and caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar are there to represent Pakistan.

The foreign minister said that India’s illegal actions in Indian occupied Jammu Kashmir and the “abhorrent human rights violations” against innocent Kashmiris at the hands of Indian security forces have “further deteriorated relations” between the two countries.

“Worsening religious extremism in India, especially against Muslims has further complicated the situation,” he stated.

Jilani said that in such a complex environment, “India’s belligerence and anti-Pakistan theatrics for domestic elections” are taking the two countries further away from the objectives of regional peace and stability and calling for peaceful constructive dialogues on all outstanding issues in Jammu and Kashmir.

FM Jilani stated that Pakistan had the greatest stake in Afghanistan that has peace within and with its regional and international partners.

“This objective lies at the heart of our efforts to directly engage with the Afghan interim government, as well as cooperate with [the] international community on Afghanistan,” he said.