MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the PDM threats hold no importance for the PTI government except the meetings could result in spread of coronavirus in the country.
Talking to different delegations from NA-156 here Sunday, he was of the view that PDM has not learnt any lesson from its three years failures to topple the government and now the opposition was relying on new tactics to give a tough time to the government which will most likely fail also.
Qureshi said those who were earlier demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Imran Khan were seen nowhere now. Under the vibrant leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the country was on a journey of matchless development, which could not be stopped by the noise of the opposition, he added.
The foreign minister said the opposition had no agenda for the country’s development. He said the opposition was pursuing an agenda of chaos and anarchy. On the contrary, Prime Minister Imran Khan owned a full-fledged development programme which was being implemented, he added. The premier is pursuing a zero tolerance policy in order to eradicate the menace of corruption and holding looters accountable, he further added. He said the PTI government would not accept any internal or external pressure in this connection.
He said it has become a tradition in the country to loot the national treasury, make properties and flee abroad but this will not happen now. He said the prime minister made it clear that every corrupt person would be held accountable.
For the first time in the country’s history, powerful looters who looted the national wealth were brought to book, he added. He said the PTI government strongly believed in the process of accountability without discrimination, adding the NAB was operating independently.
About his recent tour to four different countries, he said the meetings with the leadership of different countries provided him an opportunity to know their views on Afghanistan. Qureshi said Pakistan was moving forward with the desire for peace in the region.
He said peace in Afghanistan was very important; adding the peace in Afghanistan would lead to regional peace. Pakistan wants a political settlement in Afghanistan in which all partners are united for durable peace. Qureshi said people of Afghanistan had been facing wars for decades and now they wanted peace.
He informed that he had discussion with Britain, the US and China leaderships regarding peace in Afghanistan. He said all the countries praised Pakistan’s conciliatory role in Afghanistan.
Qureshi said Pakistan was assisting in process of evacuation of diplomatic staff and other foreigners in Kabul. The world is expressing confidence in Pakistan and appreciating its responsible role, he added.
He said there are some concerns about the current situation in Afghanistan and we have to be very careful. He said Pakistan has not closed the border with Afghanistan and steps have been taken regarding border management and not allowing anyone to cross the border without documents.
Meanwhile, Qureshi has said peace and stability in Afghanistan will benefit the entire region.In a statement Sunday on prevailing situation in Afghanistan, Qureshi said the neighbouring countries of Afghanistan are well aware of the situation there and cautioned that worsening situation in Afghanistan would affect them all.
Qureshi said Afghan people have been bracing the devastating impacts of decades of war and they want durable peace. He said the positive message from Afghanistan should be encouraged and if the country is left alone it would cause negative impacts on all.
He said the international community is acknowledging Pakistan’s role in evacuation of diplomatic missions of various countries from Afghanistan. The foreign minister said India has been the top spoiler and playing negative role against Pakistan and for this purpose it has pulled together different terrorist groups to carry out terrorist activities. He warned that India is trying to destabilise the regional peace and stressed upon keeping a strict vigil over such designs.
