Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir not weak: Qureshi

MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir has never been weak and the main problem it faces is the weak economy.

Qureshi said former judge of Indian supreme court Justice Markandey Katju has rightly said that India had sown seeds for large-scale guerrilla war in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) by stripping the territory of its special status. Delivering the keynote address at the annual national conference titled ''Hazrat Bahauddin Zakariya (RA) Teachings and Social Harmony'' here Thursday, the minister said that senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad also portrayed a horrible picture of IOK onhis return to India after staying there for six days.

He said India has imposed curfew and restrictions in IOK for the last two months, but it failed to shatter the courage of the brave Kashmiris. He said the Kashmir fight was a long fight; it was not a T20, but a Test match which could only be won by a team which had a holistic approach. The minister said the world is praising Pakistan’s narrative and the international media like New York Times, Washington Post, Telegraph, CNN, BBC and others were supporting Pakistan’s viewpoint. He said human rights organisations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, which set the world’s narrative, are praising Pakistan’s approach. Shah Mehmood expressed satisfaction with his meeting with the Taliban delegation led by Mulla Abdul Ghani Baradar in Islamabad and discussion about resumption of dialogue with the US. About south Punjab youth job opportunities, he said he would talk to Punjab chief minister about it.