Pakistan PM’s adviser says India has sent a message with ‘desire for conversation’

[MenInG]

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s adviser on national security issues has contended that India has indicated a desire for talks even as he set several conditions for a dialogue, including the rollback of several changes made in Jammu and Kashmir.

Moeed Yusuf, special assistant to Khan on national security and strategic policy planning, said India has sent a message to Pakistan with “a desire for conversation” but refused to give details.

Among the conditions set by Yusuf for a dialogue with India is release of political prisoners in Jammu and Kashmir, making Kashmiris a party to talks, ending restrictions in the region, rescinding the domicile law that allows non-Kashmiris to settle in the region, and stopping alleged human rights abuses.

He also said the changes in Jammu and Kashmir are “not an internal matter”, and are “a matter for the UN”.

Yusuf made the remarks in an interview with journalist Karan Thapar for the news portal The Wire, the first by a Pakistani official since India scrapped Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in August 2019 and split it into two union territories.

Yusuf said the two sides “must sit down like adults” for talks and contended the two key issues are Kashmir and terror. “I want to talk about both,” he said, adding that Pakistan “stands for peace and we want to move forward”.

There was no immediate response from Indian officials to Yusuf’s comments.

It is extremely rare for Pakistani officials to talk on foreign policy issues such as relations with India without getting the go-ahead from the military establishment, which plays a key role in guiding ties with the US and India. Yusuf is considered to be close to the security establishment.

Last month, Yusuf had created a flutter after he joined a virtual meeting of national security advisers of member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) with a map that inaccurately depicted the borders of India and Pakistan. India’s NSA Ajit Doval walked out of the meeting in protest and the matter did now go down well with Russia, which hosted the meeting.

On the issue of Kulbhushan Jadhav, the former Indian Navy officer sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court for alleged involvement in spying, Yusuf contended there was evidence linking him to subversive activities. On the matter of India asking that Jadhav be represented by an Indian lawyer or a Queen’s Counsel to file an appeal against his death sentence, Yusuf said there is no law to allow an Indian lawyer to argue a case in a Pakistani court.

He also refused to accept that Pakistan has denied India unimpeded and unconditional consular access to Jadhav.

Asked about Pakistan’s repeated refusal to act against terrorists who target India from Pakistani soil and the failure to prosecute the seven men accused of involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Yusuf blamed India for “deliberately delaying sending evidence and witnesses” for the trail so that it can keep the issue alive and use it to run down Pakistan in front of the world community.

Speaking about Prime Minister Khan’s silence on the persecution of Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang region while accusing India of “genocide” in Kashmir, Yusuf said this was “a false equivalence”. He said the Uyghurs were a “non-issue” as he was 100% satisfied that they were being treated properly by China.

Yusuf also accused India of being involved in backing terror within Pakistan, and said the Indian embassy in Kabul had given $1 million to the Pakistani Taliban in 2019 to help the group merge with four other militant groups. However, he was unable to name all four groups.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/indi...onversation/story-FQr67HVg4KjHDrP0GjgtzM.html

 

[JaDed]

Speaking about Prime Minister Khan’s silence on the persecution of Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang region while accusing India of “genocide” in Kashmir, Yusuf said this was “a false equivalence”. He said the Uyghurs were a “non-issue” as he was 100% satisfied that they were being treated properly by China.

—————————

Even Chinese citizens are not 100%..

 

[Gabbar Singh]

Among the conditions set by Yusuf for a dialogue with India is release of political prisoners in Jammu and Kashmir, making Kashmiris a party to talks, ending restrictions in the region, rescinding the domicile law that allows non-Kashmiris to settle in the region, and stopping alleged human rights abuses.

Will Pakistan do the same for Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan then?

That said, the other conditions are perfectly reasonable and it’s interesting to note that reinstatement of the special status for J&K isn’t one of the conditions.

Let’s hope something positive can happen soon.

 

[MenInG]

Prime minister's aide Dr Moeed Yusuf on Tuesday said that Pakistan was ready to hold talks with India, provided Kashmir was included as a third party.

In an interview with Indian media outlet The Wire, Yusuf revealed that India had expressed a "desire for conversation" but said that Pakistan's agreement to talks would be conditional. The conditions include the immediate release of occupied Kashmir's political prisoners, lifting of the heavy military siege from the territory, reversal of New Delhi's decision to strip the region of its special status, ending human rights violations in the valley and a stop to India's state-sponsored terrorism against Pakistan.

This is the first time a Pakistani government official has given an interview to an Indian news outlet since India repealed occupied Kashmir's special status last year. Indian journalist Karan Thapar interviewed the premier's special assistant virtually.

The interview started with last year's decision by the Indian government to strip occupied Kashmir of its special status, with Thapar asking why Pakistan was "so worked up" on the issue which, the journalist said, was India's "internal" matter.

The SAPM, however, said that the Indian Muslims did not want to be "ruled by India". He quoted Kashmiri leader Farooq Abdullah, who during an interview with Thapar had said that Kashmiris living in the occupied territory "would much rather be ruled by Chinese" than India.

Yusuf further said that the world was "calling India out" over its actions in occupied Kashmir.

"That's the reality. Kashmiris can't bear the thought of being Indian. Kashmiris hate Hindustan," he told Thapar. He further said that while India had "never obeyed" the UN charter and resolutions, it had now "formally stated [that] you're going to violate them".

He regretted that India had chosen to take a "unilateral" decision bypassing the United Nations Security Council resolutions, as well as the bilateral Simla Agreement, signed between New Delhi and Islamabad.

"When you did something unilateral you had to bring in a 180,000 troops, lie to the world that there was a terrorist threat and then Indian government perpetrated terrorism on August 5. And a year later, you had to impose curfew.

"When you say that the wishes of the people don't matter, that's where you go wrong."

"The day India recognises that only the wishes of people of Kashmir matter, this issue can be resolved," Yusuf told Thapar.

The premier's aide explained that while Pakistan had never recognised the now scraped Article 370 of the Indian constitution, adding that Islamabad was "raising the issue [of the Article being repealed] because you (India) have formally gone outside the UN charter and resolutions by making a permanent change to a territory I rightfully claim as mine".

In response to a question, Yusuf said "no decision has been made" regarding granting Gilgit Baltistan a provincial status but added that the matter was the subject of "public debate".

"If it was so confirmed and so done, where is the act?" Yusuf said when asked if Pakistan had granted provincial status to GB and if such a step would be a contradiction to Islamabad's opposition to New Delhi's decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Indian constitution.

"One: no decision has been made. Two: there is a public debate. The public debate has not been generated by the government of Pakistan. It's been generated by the people of Gilgit Baltistan. They have been saying this for two or three years now. What are they saying? 'We want to be fully integrated with Pakistan.'

"Now you tell me Karan, if a people is not treated well, would they ever want that? I've never heard the Kashmiri Muslims talk about this in the occupied territory," Yusuf said.

He further said that Pakistan's decision would be in line with the resolutions passed by the UNSC.

"If the resolutions bar permanent change of territorial status, there will be no permanent change," Yusuf stated, adding that the matter was being debated in Pakistan since "this is how democratic societies" work.

"Democratic societies, by the way, do not bring in 180,000 troops to change the status of a territory. That's the difference between Pakistan and India right now," Yusuf said, referring to heavy Indian military deployment in occupied Kashmir since August 2019.

He agreed with Thapar that GB was a disputed territory, saying that the region would be included in the plebiscite "the day [it] happens".

He further said that India had left Pakistan with no choice but to speak out on the Kashmir issue on a global stage as the former had repeatedly rejected Islamabad's offers for talks.

Uighurs a 'non-issue'
When asked why PM Imran had never raised his voice for the Uighur community in China that was being persecuted by the Chinese government, the SAPM said: "China and Pakistan are friends like no other. We have a completely transparent relationship; virtually everything under the sky, we discuss.

"Uighurs is a non-issue [...] Our delegations have visited, we've seen and we are a 100 per cent satisfied that it's a non-issue. The West can say what it wants. I am telling you as a responsible official: we know everything we need to know about the Uighurs and everything else in China as they do about us."

Thapar quoted an interview PM Imran gave to the Financial Times last year, where the premier had said: "Frankly, I don't know much about" the Uighur issue. Yusuf, however, continued to insist that the matter was a non-issue and said that he had briefed the prime minister about it.

Consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav
Yusuf also discussed the case of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, who was convicted by a military court in 2017.

He told Thapar that the Pakistani government had granted India consular access to Jadhav as per the International Court of Justice's verdict but that the Indian government was "dragging its feet" over the matter of appointing a legal representative.

He further said that Pakistan had complied with the ICJ verdict and lamented that court proceedings could not be started because India has yet to appoint a lawyer to get relevant documents. He told Thapar that the Pakistani government was waiting for India to accept Pakistan's offer for a third consular access.

'One-sided narrative'
While responding to a question regarding New Delhi's allegations that Pakistan sponsors terrorism in India, Yusuf said that the Indian side had pushed a "one-sided narrative for at least two decades" since 9/11 attacks.

The premier's aide said that in 2019, more than a billion US dollars from the Indian embassy funds had been used for the merger of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan with other terrorist outfits.

"Congratulations to the RAW. They have succeeded in creating an organisation to kill Pakistanis," he said.

He further said that Malik Fareedoun, a mastermind of the Army Public School massacre in Peshawar, was in touch with handlers at the Indian consulate in Afghanistan. The terrorist was also treated at a New Delhi hospital in 2017, Yusuf added. The premier's assistant said that the government had records of phone calls, phone numbers of people who orchestrated the APS attack from a third country.

Yusuf said that Islamabad has "evidence to a T" that India was sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan, adding that the Indian government was "using Afghanistan's" territory in its schemes.

He went on to reveal that Aslam Achoo, a Balochistan Liberation Army terrorist, who was involved in an attack on the Chinese embassy in Karachi, was also "directly working with his RAW handlers" and was also treated at an Indian hospital later.

He said that Pakistan had collected "hard evidence" regarding Indian involvement in terror attacks instead of making them public at a premature stage.

When asked about Indian allegations that Mumbai attacks were sponsored from Pakistan's territory, he said that Islamabad had pursued the case but India refused to grant access to the crime scene or to send its witnesses.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1584856/t...-kashmir-as-third-party-says-sapm-moeed-yusuf

 

[MenInG]

National Security Advisor to Prime Minister Imran Khan, Mooed Yusuf revealed that India was involved in at least four high-profile terrorist attacks in Pakistan, saying that Islamabad had "proof to the T" of New Delhi's involvement.


In an interview to veteran Indian journalist Karan Thapar for The Wire (which will be live at 5:00pm IST on their website), Yusuf said that Pakistan has proof of India's ties to terrorism.

India recently spent $1 million to bring about TTP, 4 other militant organisations' merger in Afghanistan
Kashmiris should be made 3rd party in any India-Pakistan talks

This was the first interview by any Pakistani government official to Indian media after India's illegal attempt to annex occupied Kashmir by revoking Article 370 of the Indian constitution.

Holding India responsible for terrorist attacks in Pakistan, Yusuf said that New Delhi had used a consulate "in a neighbouring country" to launch attacks on a five-star hotel in Gwadar, the Chinese consulate in Karachi and the Pakistan Stock Exchange.

He further said that India recently spent $1 million to merge the Tehreek-e-Taliban-Pakistan (TTP) and four other terrorist organisations in Afghanistan under the supervision of RAW officials.

Yusuf said that Aslam alias Achu, a militant involved in the attack on the Chinese consulate, had undergone treatment at a hospital in New Delhi, which was proof of India's involvement in the matter.

He told Thapar that the Indian Embassy in Afghanistan was using think-tanks as a front to funnel money to terrorists in Balochistan.

The national security adviser also said that Pakistan had evidence that the mastermind of the APS massacre was in contact with an Indian consulate and that he had the phone number of the handler as well.

"We have evidence to the T," he was quoted as saying by The Wire.

During the interview, the national security adviser said that Pakistan had "received a message for a desire for conversation."

According to The Wire, he refused to divulge more details regarding the matter but said that Kashmiris must be a third party in any dialogue between India and Pakistan concerning the issue.

"There is Pakistan and then there is India. Now, if the Kashmiris can't stand the sight of India, how are we gonna have a dialogue?" said Yusuf. When Thapar told him not to "put words into the mouths of Kashmiris, Yusuf shot back: "Is Farooq Abdullah not a Kashmiri? Is Farooq Abdullah a pro-India politician?"

Yusuf also said that Pakistanis willing to discuss terrorism but stressed on diplomacy between the two sides.

"We must sit down like adults," he was quoted as saying.

He said that Pakistan stands for peace and the country wants to move forward. The national security adviser told the Indian journalist that PM Imran Khan had said since day one that he wished for peace with India but New Delhi had been "running away".

Yusuf pointed out how India has been at odds with its neighbours over the past one year, from China to Bangladesh. "Even Nepal has been standing up to you," he said. "The Bangladesh prime minister is speaking to our prime minister and is saying things I do not wish to repeat here."

However, he made it clear that there were five preconditions to any talks with India and they were: a) the end of the military siege in occupied Kashmir, b) the reversal of the domicile law, c) the release of all political prisoners in occupied Kashmir, d) India must put an end to state terrorism in Pakistan, e) India must stop violation of human rights in occupied Kashmir.

According to The Wire, Yusuf spoke about Indian agent Kulbhushan Jadhav during the course of the interview and said that the RAW agent "has been caught with his pants down".

Yusuf denied Indian allegations during the interview that Pakistan did not grant unimpeded and unconditional consular access to New Delhi.

Talking about the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the Pakistani national security adviser did not mince words in blaming India for the culprits not being punished severely, saying that India was, “deliberately delaying sending evidence and witnesses” as it wanted to use the issue to embarrass Pakistan in front of the world.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/313067-in...attacks-in-pakistan-we-have-evidence-to-the-t

 

[Extra_Cover]

 

[Napa]

If there was a serious move towards talks, then one party would not go public by itself.

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

Will Pakistan do the same for Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan then?

That said, the other conditions are perfectly reasonable and it’s interesting to note that reinstatement of the special status for J&K isn’t one of the conditions.

Let’s hope something positive can happen soon.

Have you watched the interview?

 

[Varun]

Words speak louder than action.

Talk the walk.

Signed by these two aunties - India and Pakistan.

 

[gani999]

This Indian government is never going to have talks with Pakistan. Almost everyone involved believes it's a fruitless exercise, and it probably is.

 

[the Great Khan]

Finally an interview. I've been waiting 12 years for. Karans worst I must say as his nationalistic tendencies got the better of him. Moeed (who i have been following for a while before he became NSA) was straight and to the point. Answered everything thrown at him. but that for me isn't the story. Even the talks bit isn't the story. The Indian media have quite obviously latched onto this part of the interview. The real story is the terror narrative and how Pakistan will no longer hold back and will be providing further evidence into the public domain. The fact he said this is just a teaser is even more important. The *** bit about how even India's so called afghan allies are getting sick of them is interesting too.

The Modi regime now has to manoeuvre through this maelstrom they have started. A calm sensible cunning Indian leader would have , by now, started negotiations with a new Pakistan govt and out flanked China. They had numerous cards on the table. Modi just burnt them all in a fit of idiocy.

 

[the Great Khan]

This Indian government is never going to have talks with Pakistan. Almost everyone involved believes it's a fruitless exercise, and it probably is.

its not a fruitless excercise. you can achieve alot by engaging. What is fruitless is hoping the americans and the western world wil come and save you because you have a big market. That will only get you so far. Its time the Modi regime stopped acting like bean counters and started looking at the environment around them. It is changing by the minute.

 

[the Great Khan]

Will Pakistan do the same for Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan then?

That said, the other conditions are perfectly reasonable and it’s interesting to note that reinstatement of the special status for J&K isn’t one of the conditions.

Let’s hope something positive can happen soon.

as said clearly in the interview Pakistan, unlike India, will not go against UN resolutions or anything that may break their promises around the UN resolutions. End of. Also they havent done anything yet anyway so its a moot point at the moment.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Finally an interview. I've been waiting 12 years for. Karans worst I must say as his nationalistic tendencies got the better of him. Moeed (who i have been following for a while before he became NSA) was straight and to the point. Answered everything thrown at him. but that for me isn't the story. Even the talks bit isn't the story. The Indian media have quite obviously latched onto this part of the interview. The real story is the terror narrative and how Pakistan will no longer hold back and will be providing further evidence into the public domain. The fact he said this is just a teaser is even more important. The *** bit about how even India's so called afghan allies are getting sick of them is interesting too.

The Modi regime now has to manoeuvre through this maelstrom they have started. A calm sensible cunning Indian leader would have , by now, started negotiations with a new Pakistan govt and out flanked China. They had numerous cards on the table. Modi just burnt them all in a fit of idiocy.

One of the most popular moves by Modi is downgrade relationship with Pakistan. Negotiations dont help India one bit and is useless. So kudos to Modi for doing that.

Pakistan can keep harping about "Indian" involvement in terrorism, hardly anyone believes them.

Making claims to a online news portal with dubious credentials is very easy.

 

[cricketjoshila]

its not a fruitless excercise. you can achieve alot by engaging. What is fruitless is hoping the americans and the western world wil come and save you because you have a big market. That will only get you so far. Its time the Modi regime stopped acting like bean counters and started looking at the environment around them. It is changing by the minute.

India doesn't need any saving from anyone to confront pakistanis.

What Modi has done, should have been done decades back.

Hopefully no future govt will engage with pakistan.

 

[Star_Coffee]

India has no choice but to start dialogue, after humiliated by Pakistani Airforce, China and on every international media their options are very limited despite whatever a random BJP supporter says on any online forum.

 

[the Great Khan]

One of the most popular moves by Modi is downgrade relationship with Pakistan. Negotiations dont help India one bit and is useless. So kudos to Modi for doing that.

Pakistan can keep harping about "Indian" involvement in terrorism, hardly anyone believes them.

Making claims to a online news portal with dubious credentials is very easy.

Actually its not really about who believes us or not. its about the narrative. Once the counter narrative is out there the Indian narrative gets diluted and thus the airwaves are not dominated with one story. thats the point. But like i said before the post covid world will be very different to the one we are living in now. The truth is the west is more worried about itself and whether its going to survive as a culture beyond 2021.

India needs to start thinking outside of the box as its neighbourhood is getting ever fraught for it.
With CPEC and other projects Pakistan is also in a position to simply ignore India and be done with it.The country has changed and doesnt really bother about india too much. Its population are looking ever outward towards China, turkey and even farther. India is now seen as a the sick man of south asia..Lead by a narrow minded regime, infected with covid, with deep social problems, and an economy suffering.

By the way this is the first year in which western publications have printed stories linking India to the funding of terror and even to ISIS.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Actually its not really about who believes us or not. its about the narrative. Once the counter narrative is out there the Indian narrative gets diluted and thus the airwaves are not dominated with one story. thats the point. But like i said before the post covid world will be very different to the one we are living in now. The truth is the west is more worried about itself and whether its going to survive as a culture beyond 2021.

India needs to start thinking outside of the box as its neighbourhood is getting ever fraught for it.
With CPEC and other projects Pakistan is also in a position to simply ignore India and be done with it.The country has changed and doesnt really bother about india too much. Its population are looking ever outward towards China, turkey and even farther. India is now seen as a the sick man of south asia..Lead by a narrow minded regime, infected with covid, with deep social problems, and an economy suffering.

By the way this is the first year in which western publications have printed stories linking India to the funding of terror and even to ISIS.

Counter narrative that has no takers is useless.

What pakistanis think of India has hardly ever mattered to India and wont matter now too. Pakistanis are free to celebrate their cpec etc. Infia doesn't need help from Pakistan. It hardly matters what pakistan considers India to be.

ISIS sympathisers were arrested in India by Indian authorities from Kerala and Bengal. Such sympathisers seem to crop up in every country.

 

[MenInG]

India on Wednesday criticised Pakistan for raising issues such as Kashmir at the virtual Commonwealth foreign ministers’ meeting, saying it is a “globally acknowledged promoter of state-sponsored terrorism” that masquerades as a victim of the menace.

The remarks were part of a statement delivered by Vikas Swarup, secretary (West) in the external affairs ministry, who participated in the meeting on behalf of external affairs minister S Jaishankar.

Both countries didn’t name each other in their respective statements though it was clear who they were referring to. Pakistan raised the issue of India’s alleged sponsorship of terror activities aimed against Islamabad, and described Jammu and Kashmir as a “disputed territory”.

Swarup said it was unfortunate that the Commonwealth meeting was “misused by one of our South Asian member states to pursue its own bigoted, ill-conceived, narrow and unilateral agenda on a multilateral platform”.

He added, “When we heard them rant about a South Asian state, we were left wondering why it was describing itself? And not surprisingly it came from a globally acknowledged promoter of state-sponsored terrorism masquerading as an alleged victim of the same.”

In his speech, Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said, “While the world remains preoccupied with pandemic, a state in South Asia is targeting its religious minority groups in order to foment division and hatred… It has transgressed rights and freedoms of millions and fanned hyper nationalism to engineer illegal demographic change in a disputed territory and sowed racial tensions.”

Swarup accused Pakistan of bringing “genocide to South Asia 39 years back, when it killed its own people”, and said: “This is also the same country that has the dubious distinction of becoming synonymous with the phrase ‘epicentre of terrorism’ and hosting the largest number of terrorists proscribed by the United Nations.”

Swarup said the “only dispute left” in Kashmir, which Pakistan described as a “disputed territory”, is “its own illegal occupation of certain parts, which sooner or later, it would have to vacate”.


“For such a country to hypocritically preach about religious minority groups elsewhere, while trampling upon the rights of its own indigenous minorities, was indeed most regrettable, and a blatant misuse of this august platform,” he added.

Swarup also spoke of India’s role in helping other countries counter the Covid-19 pandemic, saying: “As we move towards development of a Covid-19 vaccine, India (which accounts for 60% of global vaccine production) has already committed its vaccine production and delivery capacity to help the world in fighting this crisis.”

In keeping with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 2018, India has opened a “Commonwealth Sub Window” of $50 Million to provide grants to member states for projects related to SDG implementation and climate change.

In its first year of existence, this fund has approved 11 projects in nine Commonwealth countries, including the development of a climate early warning system in seven Pacific Island countries.

India has also more than doubled its support to the Commonwealth Small States Offices Program in New York, from $100,000 to $250,000, and Geneva, from $80,000 to $150,000, to support the engagement of small island developing states with global bodies such as the UN and WTO, Swarup said.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/indi...wealth-meet/story-JTsItaGdpAJIhv36G6hCzI.html

 

[ahsan17]

The Indian narrative vis-a-vis Pakistan being a state sponsor of terrorism has never been weaker than now. No one believes their narrative and hasn't in a long time. Worse, they have been repeating it for such a long time that it just sounds like a boy crying wolf. They repeat is every week or month and usually no one cares about it.

 

[ahmedzee]

One of the most popular moves by Modi is downgrade relationship with Pakistan. Negotiations dont help India one bit and is useless. So kudos to Modi for doing that.

Pakistan can keep harping about "Indian" involvement in terrorism, hardly anyone believes them.

Making claims to a online news portal with dubious credentials is very easy.

Supporters of terrorists are no less than terrorists themselves. As stated numerous times about India's state sponsored terrorism in Pakistan. So let me ask you this, how do you feel that your money killed little kids in school, on Dec-16, 2014? Do feel good to be a child murderer and harping your bakwas here?

 

[cricketjoshila]

Supporters of terrorists are no less than terrorists themselves. As stated numerous times about India's state sponsored terrorism in Pakistan. So let me ask you this, how do you feel that your money killed little kids in school, on Dec-16, 2014? Do feel good to be a child murderer and harping your bakwas here?

Indian Money?

What next? Should i blame IMF for the terrorist activities of pakistanis, because imf gives money to Pakistan.

 

[cricketjoshila]

The Indian narrative vis-a-vis Pakistan being a state sponsor of terrorism has never been weaker than now. No one believes their narrative and hasn't in a long time. Worse, they have been repeating it for such a long time that it just sounds like a boy crying wolf. They repeat is every week or month and usually no one cares about it.

Lol. Last year UNSC banned pakistanis for terrorism in india.

 

[Bigboii]

Counter narrative that has no takers is useless.

What pakistanis think of India has hardly ever mattered to India and wont matter now too. Pakistanis are free to celebrate their cpec etc. Infia doesn't need help from Pakistan. It hardly matters what pakistan considers India to be.

ISIS sympathisers were arrested in India by Indian authorities from Kerala and Bengal. Such sympathisers seem to crop up in every country.

Don't sleep on what [MENTION=253]the Great Khan[/MENTION] is saying I am definitely sensing a bit(as of know) of counter narrative in the US

just years ago India was the largest democracy a clean perfect county in the eyes of the people/media in the US nothing except of positives that really stood out (maybe something like South Korea, Germany is)

But know I am sensing a counter narrative of bigotry, xenophobia admittedly its small but its gaining ground in media, establishment, democratic party

don't think it'll end in anything significant in term of sanctions but what it can do is "hamaam mey sab hi nangay hai" type of thing where the pressure from Pakistan will be laid of a bit because they'll be like they're both idiots and they'll continue to fight, finger pointing so its not our problem to solve lets just not get involve

only way India can maintain pressure on Pakistan is if they fully join US's camp and than Pak with China than US will turn a blind eye and wholeheartedly support India

but during this neutral period india will run into problem

 

[ahsan17]

Lol. Last year UNSC banned pakistanis for terrorism in india.

As usual, you guys mix up state terrorism with non state terrorism. India is complaining about about state sponsored terrorism.

 

[ahsan17]

Indian Money?

What next? Should i blame IMF for the terrorist activities of pakistanis, because imf gives money to Pakistan.

Obviously he's talking about India directly funding terrorists in Pakistan.

 

[ahmedzee]

Indian Money?

What next? Should i blame IMF for the terrorist activities of pakistanis, because imf gives money to Pakistan.

Yes, indian money!
I don't know if you got to watch the interview yet, or if you read about the report few days back from Pakistan govt on having proofs of funding from RAW in APS attack, and recent PSX, chinese consulate attacks as well. Don't believe me, it would be with UN soon.

So once again, how do you feel when you funded killing of innocent children in Army Public School in Peshawar, in 2014? I seriously question if there is any humanity left in you or your govt puppets/bakhts.

 

[ahsan17]

What's interesting is that India used to get lip service from a few countries vis-a-vis their claim of Pakistan state sponsoring terrorism. Now they don't even get that.

 

[Bigboii]

I love how both Indians and Pakistanis try to take moral high ground but they know (if they look at it from a neutral perspective) their government also did things they shouldn't be proud of...

 

[the Great Khan]

Don't sleep on what [MENTION=253]the Great Khan[/MENTION] is saying I am definitely sensing a bit(as of know) of counter narrative in the US

just years ago India was the largest democracy a clean perfect county in the eyes of the people/media in the US nothing except of positives that really stood out (maybe something like South Korea, Germany is)

But know I am sensing a counter narrative of bigotry, xenophobia admittedly its small but its gaining ground in media, establishment, democratic party

don't think it'll end in anything significant in term of sanctions but what it can do is "hamaam mey sab hi nangay hai" type of thing where the pressure from Pakistan will be laid of a bit because they'll be like they're both idiots and they'll continue to fight, finger pointing so its not our problem to solve lets just not get involve

only way India can maintain pressure on Pakistan is if they fully join US's camp and than Pak with China than US will turn a blind eye and wholeheartedly support India

but during this neutral period india will run into problem

this is what I am saying. To date there has been no counter narrative from the pakistani side that can be picked up by intellectuals in the West. Therefore it was pretty easy to just ride on the Indian narrative. The indians had the right sort of people making the roght sort of noises and if your a journo or media outlet that isnt too clued up about things youll do the lazy thing and just go with this narrative. Once Pakistan starts its own version of events, some outlets will be obliged to present both points of view to be seen to be objective, thus resulting in two scenarios for Pakistan.

1) Best case, Pakistan's view starts to gain traction and win support from certain intellectual and opinion quarters. thus helping to improve its image and reducing the pressure from right wing and vested interests in the west. It can help with investment and other avenues.

2) worst case, the west and its media establishment present both sides, and then take the more stand off approach by saying what you mentioned above, as in they are like aunties quarreling lets leave them to it. This then neutralises the Indian narrative and also the pakistan narrative but relegates the quarrels to the back pages where most people dont care. It is thus ignored and Pakistan still gains.

If you dont even try to present a counter narrative one side will always win.

 

[the Great Khan]

I love how both Indians and Pakistanis try to take moral high ground but they know (if they look at it from a neutral perspective) their government also did things they shouldn't be proud of...

its not about morality. Its about geopolitics and survival into the 21st century.

 

[the Great Khan]

Obviously he's talking about India directly funding terrorists in Pakistan.

the following report clearly shows an unholy nexus between Indian companies and supplying weapons to ISIS. Many of these detonators are the same ones found in balochistan. Manufactured by Solar industries the Modi regimes favourite go to defence producer. Now we know from the US's own analysis that Indian money is being used for ISIS activities as well as other terror related activites. Foreign Policy of all people recently posted an article that describes how Indians and central asians are the new face of ISIS. We all know these were the core of the TTP militants in the begining of the tribal war in Pakistan. here are the links:

Here is the link to the EU funded report on ISIS IED's and where they get their components:
https://www.conflictarm.com/download-file/?report_id=2279&file_id=2284
page 132-142. i would suggest every pakistani member interested in this stuff read this [MENTION=138254]Syed1[/MENTION] please disseminate.

also here is the link to the article on indians making up a large part of ISIS now:

https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/10/0...ral-asians-are-the-new-face-of-islamic-state/

this is clearly showing links from India. We know India is using state funds to sponsor groups in afghanistan to kill pakistanis. this is simply a fact. Even the americans cant deny it. Yes they will do teh "do more" mantra but they know what we know. Also because they were involved to as the Salala massacre proved..

 

[cricketjoshila]

As usual, you guys mix up state terrorism with non state terrorism. India is complaining about about state sponsored terrorism.

Why do you think pakistan is on fatf list?

 

[saeedhk]

I wish to to see Pakistan and India living in peace. It would be great if both of us could trade, engage in cultural, knowledge exchange and visit each other.

But for this to happen, Pakistan would need to be sincere in its pursuit for peace with India.

 

[Greenstorm]

this is what I am saying. To date there has been no counter narrative from the pakistani side that can be picked up by intellectuals in the West. Therefore it was pretty easy to just ride on the Indian narrative. The indians had the right sort of people making the roght sort of noises and if your a journo or media outlet that isnt too clued up about things youll do the lazy thing and just go with this narrative. Once Pakistan starts its own version of events, some outlets will be obliged to present both points of view to be seen to be objective, thus resulting in two scenarios for Pakistan.

1) Best case, Pakistan's view starts to gain traction and win support from certain intellectual and opinion quarters. thus helping to improve its image and reducing the pressure from right wing and vested interests in the west. It can help with investment and other avenues.

2) worst case, the west and its media establishment present both sides, and then take the more stand off approach by saying what you mentioned above, as in they are like aunties quarreling lets leave them to it. This then neutralises the Indian narrative and also the pakistan narrative but relegates the quarrels to the back pages where most people dont care. It is thus ignored and Pakistan still gains.

If you dont even try to present a counter narrative one side will always win.

Exactly. It is so unfortunate that Indians were killing thousands of civilians in Pakistan and our traitorous leaders (NS and Zardari) did not used to utter a single word about it.

RAW is the most lethal weapon that India pocesses and it has immensely harmed Pakistan. I wait for the day when we will be able to repay the favour.

 

[CRIC_FANtastic]

the following report clearly shows an unholy nexus between Indian companies and supplying weapons to ISIS. Many of these detonators are the same ones found in balochistan. Manufactured by Solar industries the Modi regimes favourite go to defence producer. Now we know from the US's own analysis that Indian money is being used for ISIS activities as well as other terror related activites. Foreign Policy of all people recently posted an article that describes how Indians and central asians are the new face of ISIS. We all know these were the core of the TTP militants in the begining of the tribal war in Pakistan. here are the links:

Here is the link to the EU funded report on ISIS IED's and where they get their components:
https://www.conflictarm.com/download-file/?report_id=2279&file_id=2284
page 132-142. i would suggest every pakistani member interested in this stuff read this [MENTION=138254]Syed1[/MENTION] please disseminate.

also here is the link to the article on indians making up a large part of ISIS now:

https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/10/0...ral-asians-are-the-new-face-of-islamic-state/

this is clearly showing links from India. We know India is using state funds to sponsor groups in afghanistan to kill pakistanis. this is simply a fact. Even the americans cant deny it. Yes they will do teh "do more" mantra but they know what we know. Also because they were involved to as the Salala massacre proved..

Before you lecture other Pakistani members to read this report, perhaps you would like to read this yourself. Could you please let me know how to find page 132-142 in a report that is 107 pages only.

Also, for India, the report says clearly on page 11 that 'All components documented by CAR were
legally exported under government-issued licences from India to entities in Lebanon and Turkey.

So IED components manufactured in different parts of the world (India, Brazil) first land in Turkey before somehow finding their way to ISIS. This report says a lot more about your beloved Turkey than any other nation.

 

[ahsan17]

Why do you think pakistan is on fatf list?

Ok, so you admit that your UNSC argument was irrelevant.

As for FATF, I have mentioned it to you on several threads. What do you think FATF is responsible for? What is the supposed criteria for the grey list? That will give you your answer that it has nothing to do with state sponsored terrorism.

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: In response to a question about a reported offer by India for resumption of dialogue, Foreign Office spokesman Zahid Hafeez said on Thursday the onus was on New Delhi to create an enabling environment for the purpose.

Addressing the weekly press briefing here, he said that in order to create an enabling environment India should rescind its illegal and unilateral actions, end its state-terrorism against Kashmiri people, and agree to resolve the Jammu & Kashmir dispute in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and wishes of the people of Kashmir.

“It is India that has vitiated the atmosphere with its illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019 in IIOJK and with continuous belligerent rhetoric. We have been consistently saying that India is trying to change the demographic structure of IIOJK in violation of international law, UN charter, the United Nations Security Council Resolutions, 4th Geneva Convention and humanitarian norms,” he said.

The FO spokesman said that demographic changes should immediately be stopped and this process reversed. “On its part, Pakistan will continue to highlight India’s state terrorism in IIOJK, and its denial of the fundamental freedoms and inalienable right to self-determination to the Kashmiri people”.

About India’s propaganda against Pak-China relationship, he said, “Pakistan and China have been joined together in a broad-based, long-term all-weather strategic cooperative partnership. Our cooperation is an anchor for regional peace and stability. We have always stood by each other through difficult times and have supported each other on core national issues.”

He said Pakistan strongly condemned the malicious Indian propaganda against the longstanding and close Pakistan-China friendship.

“This propaganda is a manifestation of the Indian government’s incurable obsession with Pakistan and its desperate attempts to mislead the world community. The world community is aware that the political opportunism of the RSS-BJP regime is imperiling peace, stability and security of the region,” the spokesman said.

He stressed that instead of promoting propaganda, India needed a course correction, not belligerent rhetoric against Pakistan. India should focus on its policies which were imperiling regional peace and stability, he said.

Answering a question about the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) which is all set to decide on Pakistan’s grey list status in a virtual meeting scheduled later this month, the spokesman said that Pakistan had been implementing the FATF Action Plan since 2018 and it had made significant progress in this regard.

“The FATF has also acknowledged Pakistan’s political commitment and the progress made by us in a number of areas in the action plan. We are committed to and moving towards completion of the action plan. We remain engaged with the process,” he said.

Asked if there was any development in the matter of deaths of 11 Pakistani Hindu citizens in India, he said that Pakistan had communicated to Indian authorities that in the interest of justice to the bereaved family and also to ensure the safety and security of other Pakistani nationals in India, it was of utmost importance for the government of India to be fully transparent about this unfortunate incident.

“It has also been emphasised that since the victims of “Jodhpur Incident” were Pakistani nationals, it was incumbent upon the Government of Pakistan to be fully aware of the circumstances under which its nationals died in India. The Indian side has been urged to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the matter, provide access to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi to the surviving member of the bereaved family, share copies of the FIR and the initial investigation report and facilitate the presence of the High Commission for Pakistan’s representatives during the post-mortem of the deceased persons without further delay,” he said.

Meanwhile, a senior Indian diplomat was summoned to the Foreign Office on Thursday to register Pakistan’s strong protest over the ceasefire violations by Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control (LoC) on 14 October 2020, resulting in serious injuries to two civilians.

Due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by Indian occupation forces in Jandrot Sector of the LoC, Sufiyan, 25, and Muhammad Rafaqat, 28, suffered serious injuries.

Condemning the deplorable targeting of civilians by Indian occupation forces, it was underscored that such senseless acts are in clear violation of the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, and are also against all established humanitarian norms and professional military conduct.

Indian side was called upon to respect the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, investigate this and other such incidents of deliberate ceasefire violations and maintain peace along the LoC and the WB.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2020

 

[the Great Khan]

Before you lecture other Pakistani members to read this report, perhaps you would like to read this yourself. Could you please let me know how to find page 132-142 in a report that is 107 pages only.

Also, for India, the report says clearly on page 11 that 'All components documented by CAR were
legally exported under government-issued licences from India to entities in Lebanon and Turkey.

So IED components manufactured in different parts of the world (India, Brazil) first land in Turkey before somehow finding their way to ISIS. This report says a lot more about your beloved Turkey than any other nation.

My bad here is the link to the longer 207 page report.

https://www.conflictarm.com/reports/weapons-of-the-islamic-state/


Also these detonators have been found on BLA terrorists and all over balochistan. Were they also legitmatley transferred to the Baloch terrorists that we know India supports?

Read the longer report and how many times the authors have to say " we cant determine the chain". Why is it that indian detonators are finding their way quite regularly into the hands of terrorists? and that coupled with the link via activities in indian banks linked to terror cells, weapons through shell companies which find there way to ISIS...what is the Modi govt doing?

it seems quite clear that India is now fast becoming a hub of terror financing and weapons supply. Also its sponsorship of ISIS in afghanistan and the TTP is going to get further exposed..

 

[MenInG]

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security, Moeed Yusuf said India is trying to spread the narrative in occupied Kashmir that it has reached an agreement with Pakistan on the disputed territory.

"India is spreading a narrative in occupied Kashmir that there has been an agreement [with Pakistan] on [the disputed] territory," Yusuf told reporters in Lahore on Saturday.

The SAPM, who was talking today to media in the backdrop of his recent interview with Indian journalist Karan Thappar, said that he felt disappointed out of one of the feedback that he got regarding the interview.

“90% feedback said that it was the first time that Pakistan gave a befitting response to India,” claimed Yusuf. He added that the feedback meant that Pakistan was presenting its case out of fear and on the back foot.

“What is there to fear. Have we stolen something? Someone else is doing the stealing here,” said the prime minister's aide. He added that what the Narendra Modi-led government was doing in Kashmir should make them New Delhi defensive and it should not be the other way around.

He explained that this was the approach that he had gone into the panel with. He also added that as a representative of Pakistan, he had told India during the interview that its “basic message” was that of peace.

Hurdles to peace
Yusuf told media that in his interview he clearly identified the hurdles to peace in his interview with the Indian journalist, Karan Thapar.

The SAPM said that a “jail-like feeling’ was being felt by the masses in occupied Kashmir after New Delhi's August 5, 2019 move. He added that in the ongoing “military occupation”, humans have been turned into animals.

Speaking about New Delhi's deceptive tactics, Yusuf said,“India is spreading a narrative in occupied Kashmir that there has been an agreement on Kashmir. That the chapter has closed and Pakistan is not serious."

The SAPM said that Pakistan has made its stance on occupied Kashmir clear, adding that he also used the phrase “over my dead body” to make clear Islamabad's stance on the occupied territory.

“What agreement can there be [with India]? There is only one [agreement possible]. That whatever measures you have taken should be reversed and decisions [in future] should be made according to the UN resolutions,” said Yusuf

He said Pakistan was supporting this narrative this because it knows “what the situation in Kashmir is right now”. He added that “Kashmiris cannot even listen to India’s name” after the August 5, 2019 move by New Delhi.

“I told them that you have to reverse this. Not because of us, but because of what is happening there,” said the SAPM.

“When you treat humans like animals then you will get a response and it is coming,” warned the SAPM, adding that it was better India walked away from its wishes and arrived at the negotiating table for talks.

Change in narrative
The SAPM also said that during the interview Pakistan challenged India’s narrative on terrorism.

“They always used to say that Pakistan wants to speak about Kashmir and we want to talk about terrorism. In this interview, a major change in Pakistan’s stance is that actually not you, but we also want to talk about terrorism,” said Yusuf, adding that he made them count “one after another” of India’s involvement in terror attacks on Pakistani soil.

“All these matters were not [in] their expectations and neither has there been any talk like this and we have nothing to hide,” said the SAPM. He added that there has been “no response” on the terrorism charges he presented regarding India.

“We are ready for talks. We have made the conditions clear,” said Yusuf. He added that Pakistan has clarified what India has to do in occupied Kashmir and stop terrorism against Pakistan.

The SAPM also emphasized that there is a need to change Pakistan’s narrative in the world.

“Pakistan’s narrative is of economic security and the world has not accepted it yet. We need to work on it and I request to the media that you are part of Pakistan’s diplomacy,” said Yusuf.

The SAPM also said that the media should think it’s part of the state when it talks as most of the questions asked from him by Thapar were quoting Pakistani media.

The SAPM said that his “goal” for the next year is to present “Pakistan’s new narrative”.

Source GEO

 

[Hornbill]

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security, Moeed Yusuf said India is trying to spread the narrative in occupied Kashmir that it has reached an agreement with Pakistan on the disputed territory.

"India is spreading a narrative in occupied Kashmir that there has been an agreement [with Pakistan] on [the disputed] territory," Yusuf told reporters in Lahore on Saturday.

The SAPM, who was talking today to media in the backdrop of his recent interview with Indian journalist Karan Thappar, said that he felt disappointed out of one of the feedback that he got regarding the interview.

“90% feedback said that it was the first time that Pakistan gave a befitting response to India,” claimed Yusuf. He added that the feedback meant that Pakistan was presenting its case out of fear and on the back foot.

“What is there to fear. Have we stolen something? Someone else is doing the stealing here,” said the prime minister's aide. He added that what the Narendra Modi-led government was doing in Kashmir should make them New Delhi defensive and it should not be the other way around.

He explained that this was the approach that he had gone into the panel with. He also added that as a representative of Pakistan, he had told India during the interview that its “basic message” was that of peace.

Hurdles to peace
Yusuf told media that in his interview he clearly identified the hurdles to peace in his interview with the Indian journalist, Karan Thapar.

The SAPM said that a “jail-like feeling’ was being felt by the masses in occupied Kashmir after New Delhi's August 5, 2019 move. He added that in the ongoing “military occupation”, humans have been turned into animals.

Speaking about New Delhi's deceptive tactics, Yusuf said,“India is spreading a narrative in occupied Kashmir that there has been an agreement on Kashmir. That the chapter has closed and Pakistan is not serious."

The SAPM said that Pakistan has made its stance on occupied Kashmir clear, adding that he also used the phrase “over my dead body” to make clear Islamabad's stance on the occupied territory.

“What agreement can there be [with India]? There is only one [agreement possible]. That whatever measures you have taken should be reversed and decisions [in future] should be made according to the UN resolutions,” said Yusuf

He said Pakistan was supporting this narrative this because it knows “what the situation in Kashmir is right now”. He added that “Kashmiris cannot even listen to India’s name” after the August 5, 2019 move by New Delhi.

“I told them that you have to reverse this. Not because of us, but because of what is happening there,” said the SAPM.

“When you treat humans like animals then you will get a response and it is coming,” warned the SAPM, adding that it was better India walked away from its wishes and arrived at the negotiating table for talks.

Change in narrative
The SAPM also said that during the interview Pakistan challenged India’s narrative on terrorism.

“They always used to say that Pakistan wants to speak about Kashmir and we want to talk about terrorism. In this interview, a major change in Pakistan’s stance is that actually not you, but we also want to talk about terrorism,” said Yusuf, adding that he made them count “one after another” of India’s involvement in terror attacks on Pakistani soil.

“All these matters were not [in] their expectations and neither has there been any talk like this and we have nothing to hide,” said the SAPM. He added that there has been “no response” on the terrorism charges he presented regarding India.

“We are ready for talks. We have made the conditions clear,” said Yusuf. He added that Pakistan has clarified what India has to do in occupied Kashmir and stop terrorism against Pakistan.

The SAPM also emphasized that there is a need to change Pakistan’s narrative in the world.

“Pakistan’s narrative is of economic security and the world has not accepted it yet. We need to work on it and I request to the media that you are part of Pakistan’s diplomacy,” said Yusuf.

The SAPM also said that the media should think it’s part of the state when it talks as most of the questions asked from him by Thapar were quoting Pakistani media.

The SAPM said that his “goal” for the next year is to present “Pakistan’s new narrative”.

Source GEO

This happened couple of days before
India rejects Imran Khan’s NSA negotiated claim, calls it imaginary
https://www.google.com/amp/s/pledge...-nsa-negotiated-claim-calls-it-imaginary/amp/
Lol what kind of narrative can be spread after releasing these statement

 

[MenInG]

The Foreign Office on Saturday rejected Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) Subrahmanyam Jaishankar's comments accusing Pakistan of justifying terror as a policy and for the frail relations between the two countries.
In a statement, the Foreign Office said Pakistan "completely rejects these unwarranted and tendentious comments".

The Indian minister had claimed during a recent online think-tank event that the Pakistani government justified using terrorism as a policy, making it very hard to conduct relations, according to a report by Indian news outlet The Print.

"We don’t have a normal visa relationship, they are very restrictive on that score. They have blocked connectivity between India and Afghanistan and from Afghanistan to India," the report quoted Jaishankar as saying.

"Normal neighbours do visas and trade, they give you connectivity and most important they don’t practice terrorism. And I think until we address that problem, this challenge of how do you have a normal relationship with this very unique neighbour is a very troubling issue for our foreign policy."

Rejecting the minister's comments, the Foreign Office said instead of focusing on its human rights violations in occupied Kashmir, India was resorting to "fabrications and baseless allegations against Pakistan".

"Rather than reflect on its own egregious behaviour marked by illegal and unilateral actions in IIOJK, gross and systematic violations of human rights of unarmed and innocent Kashmiris, unabashed anti-minority policies and actions, incessantly bellicose statements against Pakistan, and aggressive steps in the shape of intensified violations of ceasefire along the Line of Control, India resorts to fabrications and baseless allegations against Pakistan.

"Clearly, an acknowledged perpetrator of state-terrorism cannot masquerade as a ‘victim’ of terrorism," the statement said.

The FO pointed out that India portrayed Kashmiris killed in fake "encounters" and "cordon-and-search" operations as terrorists to divert the attention of the international community from the its atrocities in the occupied valley, which it said reflected the "moral bankruptcy of the Indian leadership".

"The so-called preachers of trade and connectivity should also tell the world as to who is blocking regional cooperation and the Saarc (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) process, with its next summit pending since 2016. Indian sophistry and obfuscation can neither hide hard facts, nor succeed in misleading the world community," it said.

The statement said it was the "RSS-BJP regime’s dangerous policies of 'Hindutva' and 'Akhand Bharat'" that continued to victimise the people in occupied Kashmir and minorities elsewhere in India and "create problems with nearly all of India’s neighbours".

"Obviously, ‘normal’ relations with its neighbours remain contingent upon India beginning to act normally," the statement said.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1585567/f...emarks-accusing-pakistan-of-justifying-terror

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said conditions are not conducive for talks with India due to its actions in occupied Kashmir.

“As far as dialogue is concerned, my honest opinion is that I don’t see the atmosphere for talks,” Mr Qureshi told reporters on Friday.

He said some people desired talks to happen, but the situation in India-occupied Kashmir did not allow that. “Some people wish that [dialogue] to happen and some people keep dropping such hints. But in view of the situation in held Kashmir where restrictions are in place, communications blackout is continuing, fundamental rights have been trampled, freedoms are being denied, international observers are not allowed to go there, independent media is being denied access, what talks can be held,” he said.

The foreign minister said any such dialogue would not be productive. “It would be equal to holding talks for sake of talks. We don’t think that way,” he added.

Dialogue between Pakistan and India has been suspended since 2013. However, relations nosedived after India illegally annexed held Kashmir on Aug 5 last year and Islamabad downgraded relations with New Delhi.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security Moeed Yusuf recently in an interview with Indian media disclosed that Delhi had sent messages to Islamabad with “a desire for conversation”.

India, however, rejected Mr Yusuf’s claim. External affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had said: “As regards the purported message, let me make it clear that no such message was sent from our side.”

Read: India terms SAPM’s talks claim fictitious

Foreign Minister Qureshi said the way forward lay in India reviewing its “illegal and unilateral” decisions on occupied Kashmir. “Without doing so, dialogue would be useless,” he emphasised.

Commenting on FATF review of Pakistan’s progress on meeting deficiencies in its counter-terror financing and anti-money laundering regimes, shortly before the global illicit financing watchdog announced its decisions, Mr Qureshi said Indian had failed in its design of pushing Pakistan into blacklist.

He said the government and parliament had taken “solid measures” to meet the shortcomings. The world, he said, acknowledges the progress that Pakistan had so far made.

Regarding the provisional provincial status for Gilgit-Baltistan, the foreign minister said all steps would be taken in consultation with the relevant stakeholders. However, he added, nothing would be done that could comprise Pakistan’s stance on the Kashmir dispute.

Responding to a question about bringing back former prime minister Nawaz Sharif from Britain, Mr Qureshi said although Pakistan did not have an extradition treaty with the United Kingdom, the government had written to the British government to take action according to its own laws. He said Mr Sharif should morally return to Pakistan by himself.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2020

https://www.dawn.com/news/1586725/conditions-not-conducive-for-talks-with-india-says-qureshi