Ready for talks if India ensures conducive environment: Qureshi

MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Saturday Pakistan was ready for dialogue if India ensured conducive environment and offered to welcome the Sikh community for Vaisakhi if New Delhi would allow them.

Talking to the media after a ceremony here, Qureshi said Kashmir was the main hurdle in the talks with India and he would be ready to go to New Delhi for talks if India stopped brutalities in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The minister said there were issues with India, including Kashmir, Siachen, water, Sir Creek and others. He said dialogue would only possible when India shows some flexibility and Pakistan was “not in a hurry”. The foreign minister said war was not the solution to issues and dialogue should be held to settle problems between both countries.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government could not change the ideology and feelings of the Kashmiri people, the minister said, adding that the whole world and international human rights organisations were raising questions over India.

He said the recent ceasefire with India was benefiting people at the Line of Control. He also said Pakistan had opened the Kartarpur corridor as a goodwill gesture and would be ready to welcome the Sikh community for Vaisakhi if the Indian government would allow them.

To a question regarding the issue of Pakistani parliamentary delegation’s aeroplane landing in Afghanistan, Qureshi said the delegation, led by National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser was going to Kabul as a goodwill gesture. He added that he had not yet spoken with Qaiser about it.

However, the Afghanistan government took notice of the issue and initial reports suggested there was a security issue. He said Pakistan wanted friendship, peace and stability there and a prosperous and developed Afghanistan.