ISLAMABAD, Jan 16 (APP):Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi Thursday said that peace and stability in South Asia would remain elusive until the Kashmir dispute was resolved in accordance with international law and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
He expressed these views during a meeting with the leadership of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at Capitol Hill.
Republican Senator Jim Risch and Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, welcomed the Foreign Minister to the Capitol.
Senators Risch and Menendez were joined by Senator Mitt Romney, the former Republican presidential candidate and Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Asia, and Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, Ranking Member of the Asia Subcommittee.
The Foreign Minister briefed the Senators on India’s brutal lock-down in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and its implications for regional security.
Both sides shared their perspectives on the U.S.-Pakistan bilateral relationship, the situation in South Asia, the Afghan peace process, and recent developments in the Middle East, a foreign office statement issued here said.
The Committee members appreciated Pakistan’s role in the Afghan peace process and requested Pakistan’s continued support. The Foreign Minister said that Pakistan was committed to the political reconciliation process in Afghanistan.
Foreign Minister Qureshi noted that the history of Pakistan-U.S. relations bore testimony to the value of working together.
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve to continue to play a constructive role and to work with the United States to bring peace in the region.
Referring to Pakistan’s role in defusing tensions in the Middle East, the Foreign Minister said that “Pakistan is for peace and we would do whatever we can to promote and facilitate peace.”
The leadership of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee agreed with the Foreign Minister on the need for continued cooperation between the two countries for achieving their common objectives on the bilateral and regional fronts.
