Pakistan foreign minister is in London on a three-day official visit
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that the West is trying to make Pakistan a scapegoat for the current political situation in Afghanistan.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi was addressing a reception hosted by the Pakistan High Commission in London on Sunday. The reception was attended by a large number of renowned members of the British Pakistani community, including parliamentarians, businessmen and professionals from other fields of life.
Addressing the participants during the event, the foreign minister touched upon several issues, including the evolving situation in war-torn Afghanistan and the role played by Pakistan in maintaining peace in the region.
Qureshi said that the Western media was trying to blame Pakistan for the Afghan crisis but it is actually the former Afghan leaders who should be blamed for the current situation in Afghanistan. He further said that both Pakistan and the UK have the same goals in Afghanistan.
Qureshi is in London on a three-day from Sept. 26 to Sept. 28. During his visit, the foreign minister is set to meet the chairman of the British Foreign Affairs Committee, members of the Pakistani community and British Parliamentarians. Besides, he will also have comprehensive discussions with his British counterpart Elizabeth Truss at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The Foreign Minister will also have a media talk.
FM lauded British Pakistani Diaspora
Shah Mehmood Qureshi praised the outstanding contribution of the British Pakistani community in strengthening Pakistan-UK relations. He explained the participants of the initiative taken by the Pakistan government to facilitate Overseas Pakistanis including giving them voting rights. The foreign minister lauded in particular, the buy-in of initiatives such as Roshan Digital Accounts on part of the British Pakistani community.
Qureshi met British Pakistani leaders from Kashmir
The foreign minister also met with prominent British Pakistani leaders and community representatives hailing from Kashmir at the Pakistan House.
Qureshi lauded the Pakistani Kashmiri community’s role in highlighting Indian human rights abuses in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir. He also briefed them about the steps the Pakistan government has taken to advance the Kashmir cause, and raise awareness about the humanitarian and human rights violations in the Indian Occupied Kashmir.
India is playing role of a spoiler in Afghanistan, says Qureshi
In an interview, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that India has played the role of a spoiler in the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan. He blamed India for hampering the peace process in Afghanistan. He further said that it is only possible to have political reconciliation in Afghanistan if India stops playing the role of spoiler in the war-torn country.
Qureshi stressed that the humanitarian crisis was emerging in Afghanistan and if not addressed immediately, it will result in an influx of refugees into the world.