Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has invited the opposition parties to sit together with the government to address the challenges being faced by the country on the front of foreign affairs. Responding to the opposition members in the National Assembly, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Wednesday invited opposition leaders Shehbaz Sharif, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and the head of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) to provide input on foreign policy matters.
The foreign minister also said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is also committed to implementing National Action Plan (NAP) in letter and spirit. He said that the government would welcome any suggestion from the opposition parties to cope with the challenges Pakistan is confronted with on foreign affairs' front. The minister said, "I am willing to seek input from Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Shehbaz Sharif and the chief of MMA on foreign policy, so there can be a bipartisan approach on important foreign policy matters."
He thanked Bilawal and Shehbaz for demonstrating solidarity, saying, "This is the time to send the message that Pakistan is united."While responding the statement of Bilawal about releasing the Indian pilot, the minister said that the issue of releasing the pilot was discussed and he was released in Pakistan's interest. The minister said, "We thought by doing this, we would be signalling de-escalation. He said that this signal went loud and clear and was appreciated worldwide. Everyone acknowledged Pakistan acted responsibly and immediately."
Responding to criticism of boycotting the meeting of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Qureshi said that OIC meeting in Abu Dhabi was boycotted in light of the unanimous resolution passed by the joint sitting of the Parliament. He said, "Pakistan's interests were protected by officers from the Foreign Office at the meeting..... For the first time OIC accused India of state terrorism in Kashmir."
Responding to the matter of implementation on National Action Plan (NAP), raised by Bilawal in the House, the minister said that his government has been in office for the last six months and issues related to non-implementation of the NAP, FATF and economy had not been addressed by past governments.
"We have been in the office for only six months but his [Bilawal's] allies were in office for four-and-a-half-year after the NAP was formulated. That question should have been put to the new allies why the NAP was not implemented," Qureshi said.
The minister said, "Pakistan went back on the grey-list when your close allies (PML-N) were in the government. And If I remember correctly, Pakistan was put on FATF blacklist and you know who was in government then."
He said the PTI government is implementing the NAP in letter and sprit. He said that the government is carrying out crackdown against proscribed organisations to defeat terrorism in the country by implementing the NAP. While speaking on the issue of Nobel Peace Prize for Imran Khan, the minister said that the Prime Minister has himself tweeted that he did not deserve this, rather the person who would resolve the Kashmir dispute should be rewarded with this. He said Pakistan's gesture of peace was widely acknowledged by the international community. The foreign minister said that praise should be given to both Hassan Siddiqui and Nouman Ali Khan who downed the Indian jets.
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