Peace in South Asia will remain evasive until Kashmir dispute is resolved: FM

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that in keeping with the UN resolutions and expectations of the Kashmiri people, Pakistan wants to resolve the Kashmir dispute.
Speaking at Washington’s U.S. Center for Strategic and International Studies, he said the residents of Occupied Kashmir have been facing an unprecedented human crisis in the form of military lockdowns and blockades for the past 165 days.
The Foreign Minister has said that BJP misleads the international community on the issue of Pulwama and interprets Pakistan’s desire for peace as its weakness. He said Pakistan wants peace for prosperity, and it opened the Kartarpur Corridor not just for India, but for the whole world.
About the current U.S .- Iran standoff, Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Pakistan is a peace partner and wants diplomatic solutions to the problem.
Referring to Afghanistan, he said that it is a shared responsibility of all actors to create peace in Afghanistan.
He said increased trade activities between Pakistan and Afghanistan are in both countries’ interests.
The Foreign Minister also spoke about various aspects of Pak-US relations.
He also reiterated Pakistan’s firm commitment to play a constructive role in the region as regards peace and stability. Speaking with US Senator Lindsey Graham in Washington, he said there is no military resolution to the Afghan issue.
The Foreign Minister heard about the attempts of Pakistan to mitigate tensions in the region from the U.S. President. He also made the US Senator aware of his recent visits to Iran, Saudi Arabia. The two sides exchanged views on bilateral Pak-US issues and situation in the region during the meeting.
Senator Lindsey Graham on the occasion praised Pakistan’s reconciliatory position in Afghanistan for peace and stability.