Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Thursday expressed the hope that India would not commit the mistake of carrying out surgical strikes. “We will be compelled to respond if it happens,” he told reporters on his arrival at the airport here.
Responding to a question whether the possibility of war could be ruled out, he said: “If you are asking me, I am not ruling out anything. But if war is imposed, we will respond to it like a brave nation.” He said: “I want to convey this message to India that we are the torchbearers of peace and remain committed to our desire for peace.”
“Contrary to our reasonable, cooperative and non-aggressive attitude, some elements from India were issuing provocative statements,” he added. “But we do not feel the need to do this. We are confident and we rely on the Almighty,” he said, adding that Pakistan wanted to expose those involved in the act of terrorism and had already promised cooperation in this regard.
“We have also conveyed our grief to the families of those who had lost their loved ones in the Mumbai attacks,” he said.Qureshi said the nation stood united and knew how to defend the geographical boundaries of the motherland. “We should not be complacent. Hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. We want peace but should not be complacent about India,î Qureshi said.
Responding to a question on reports of evacuation of civilians from the Rajasthan desert, the foreign minister said as far as the mobilisation situation on the ground was concerned, the situation was not what it was in 2001. “But it keeps changing and we will prepare a strategy after examining any change. We are continuously monitoring the situation on the ground and in the air. Our air force and armed forces are on alert.î
He said he would have a teleconference with his Chinese counterpart on Friday (today) and different matters would come under discussion during the interaction.He said he had put forward a proposal before the president and the prime minister to send envoys to world capitals to project Pakistan’s point of view.
He said that delegations should comprise political parties’ representatives and seasoned diplomats, so that a national message could be delivered from Pakistan. He added that the proposal was under consideration.
The foreign minister said Pakistan had been making efforts from the day one to de-escalate the situation and maintaining a soft tone while projecting its principled stance.Qureshi lauded the elected representatives for passing a unanimous resolution in the National Assembly. He said the Foreign Office had consulted all the political parties and made adjustments in the draft to give a message to India that the nation stood united. Qureshi said Pakistan was projecting its point of view before the world in an effective manner. He said sane and wise people across the world had appreciated Pakistan’s stance. He added that a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry and the top Interpol officer had also appreciated Pakistan’s stance.
On the recent meeting of the Indian envoys, he said the meeting was not specific to the Mumbai attacks as its schedule was announced much earlier. Since the Mumbai incident was important, it was discussed in the meeting of the Indian envoys, he added.
Qureshi said Pakistan was in contact with the Muslim states and other countries. He said all the Pakistani diplomats had been directed to project Pakistan’s point of view in the capitals where they were posted.
The foreign minister said intellectuals and organisations should stand united while shunning their petty differences and problems. Qureshi said the display of unity and solidarity could serve as a deterrent. On the reported arrest of an Indian national in the Lahore blast, he expressed his inability to comment without getting detailed information about the incident.
Qureshi said Pakistan enjoyed good relationship with the US, adding that the government was ready for constructive engagements with the new US government. On the UN probe into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, he said President Asif Ali Zardari and he himself had met the UN secretary-general on the matter and positive development had taken place.
He said a decision had been taken to appoint an inquiry commission to probe into the martyrdom of Benazir Bhutto but the question that who would bear the expenses was yet to be decided.
He said Pakistan had offered to bear its cost, however, the UN officials thought it would be inappropriate to put the burden on a single country and the proposal of sharing the cost with other countries was under discussion.
Qureshi did not comment on a statement that his name was being considered for the slot of the prime minister. “Let me play the role I am assigned. Interests of Pakistan come first and persons are not important.” “My biggest desire is that I perform my duties successfully for the country in my present capacity during these testing times.”
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