Qureshi briefs NA body on prevailing situation

ISLAMABAD, Mar 6 (APP):Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday briefed the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs on the prevailing situation of the country.
Briefing the committee here at the Foreign Ministry, he highlighted Pakistan’s desire for a peaceful neighbourhood and stated that during his inaugural speech, Prime Minister Imran Khan had emphasized that Pakistan would take two steps if India took one to normalise relations, according to a FO press release.
He said he had also proposed a meeting of foreign ministers of the two countries on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session to explore the way forward towards that end. Regrettably, India cancelled the meeting within 24 hours after confirmation, on baseless and flimsy pretexts. However in the spirit of constructive engagement, the minister said, Pakistan continued its efforts for regional peace by pursuing its people and development centric policies and initiated the proposal of opening of Kartarpur Corridor, a long-standing demand of Sikhs, especially from India.
Regarding recent developments on the Pulwama incident, Qureshi stressed that he had immediately condemned that incident. Pakistan also rebutted baseless Indian allegations about Pakistanis’ involvement and offered cooperation if credible evidence was provided to it.
Regrettably India, spurred by domestic compulsions, he said, continued on its belligerent path and on February 26, Indian military aircraft violated the Line of Control (LoC), and intruded into Pakistani airspace.
They were effectively intercepted by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and forced to scuttle back, while randomly releasing their payload which landed in an uninhabited remote area. The Indian act of aggression was in blatant violation of UN Charter, international laws and all inter-state norms and conduct, he added.
The minister said in February 27, the PAF targeted non-military targets in the Indian occupied Kashmir, deliberately avoiding human loss and collateral damage to exhibit its capacity, capability and resolve. Two Indian military jets were shot down by the PAF for violating the Pakistani air space. One pilot was captured. Prime Minister Imran Khan in his statement reiterated the offer to India for cooperation in investigation of Pulwama attack and resolving issues through dialogue. Pakistan also briefed the ambassadors of P5 countries on the recent developments.
On February 28, he said, the prime minister announced the release of the Indian pilot as a good-will gesture to de-escalate tensions, during the joint session of the Parliament. The pilot was subsequently released on March 1.
The minister also shared that he wrote letters to the UN Secretary General and the President of the UN Security Council to apprise them of the threats to regional peace posed by the Indian aggression.
He also reached out to his counterparts in important capitals to highlight Pakistan’s restraint and responsible attitude in contrast to Indian aggression, he added.
In line with Pakistan’s consistent desire for regional peace and de-escalation, he said Pakistan had conveyed to India that Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India would be returning to New Delhi after completion of consultations in Islamabad.
He said the Pakistani delegation would visit New Delhi on March 14 followed by the return visit of the Indian delegation to Islamabad on March 28 to discuss the draft agreement on Kartarpur Corridor. Pakistan was also committed to continue weekly contacts at the Military Operations Directorate’s level, he added.