Pak-India tension: Qureshi briefs Chinese, German FMs, EU representative

ISLAMABAD: Appreciating Pakistan for holding out an olive branch to India, China, the European Union and Germany on Monday called for deescalating the situation, as the present situation would have serious implications for peace and security of the entire region.

On the request of Pakistan, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has summoned an emergency meeting of its Kashmir Contact Group at its General Secretariat on Tuesday (today), said media reports, but there was no statement from the Foreign Office.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi called up Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Li and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, says the Foreign Office. Federica Mogherini, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, also spoke to Qureshi.

The EU stressed urgency to deescalate the situation and confirmed that the European Union was also in contact with the Indian counterparts. Federica Mogherini appreciated the early commitment of Prime Minister Imran Khan to reach out to India, and highlighted the need to continue addressing terrorism including clear and sustained actions targeting not only all UN-listed transnational terrorist groups, but also individuals claiming responsibility for such attacks.

The Foreign Office did not comment on Federica Mogherini’s phone call but the EU Mission in Islamabad released a statement. Qureshi briefed all three senior diplomats on the evolving regional situation after the February 14 Pulwama suicide attack in the Indian Held Kashmir (IHK).

Wang Li agreed that the regional situation was serious and, if not addressed expediently, could have serious implications for peace and security of the entire region. “The foreign minister thanked China for its steadfast support and highlighted Pakistan’s desire for peace and stability in the region. Qureshi reiterated that Pakistan was ready to resolve all issues with India through dialogue and negotiation,” said the Foreign Office.

He also acknowledged Pakistan’s invaluable contributions to the fight against terrorism and said the country had paid a heavy price for its role. Both the foreign ministers also agreed to maintain regular contact to discuss regional developments.

Ms Mogherini told Qureshi that the European Union’s policy had always been to promote dialogue between Pakistan and India to sort out differences. “The high representative stressed the urgency to deescalate the situation and confirmed that the European Union was also in contact with Indian counterparts”, added the statement.

Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi called up German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to discuss the evolving regional situation. The two foreign ministers expressed satisfaction over the current level of bilateral relations and agreed to translate the existing friendship and mutual goodwill into a strong political and economic partnership.

Qureshi briefed his German counterpart on the evolving situation after the Pulwama incident and stressed that despite baseless allegations and aggressive rhetoric emanating from India, Pakistan had offered cooperation in investigating the incident and asked India to share any actionable evidence in this regard.

Pakistan desires a peaceful neighborhood and remains committed to peace and stability in the region. He also highlighted the human rights violations by the security forces in the Indian Held Kashmir (IHK) against Kashmiris in the aftermath of the Pulwama incident. The German foreign minister appreciated Pakistan’s overtures and stressed the need to preserve peace and stability in the region.