LAHORE: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Saturday reiterated that Pakistan did not want war with India as it desired peace in the region.
Addressing a press conference flanked by Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar here at the Governor House, the foreign minister said that the world was now realizing that who wanted peace and who wanted war.
Pakistan, he said, had always desired peace and never opted for war. However, war might be an option for Indian Prime Minister for political gains. In the wake of his declining popularity graph in India, Modi found fuelling anti-Pakistan sentiments among the people an easy way for achieving victory in elections, he added.
Foreign Minister Qureshi said keeping in view the track record of India, he had feared any misadventure by it well before the Pulwama incident. He had also expressed his apprehensions with various dignitaries at diplomatic level.
He said the world at large had appreciated Prime Minister Imran Khan's policy statement, offering India to sort out all issues through dialogue and in a peaceful manner, while avoiding any war and altercation.
He said as usual the entire Pakistani nation was united against the Indian aggression and war hysteria while the Indian people were divided as they had now realized the factual position about their country's aggression against Pakistan. Around 21 political parties of India had asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi as to why he was going for a war in the region, he added.
The minister said the captured Indian pilot was not returned to his country under any international pressure as it was purely a goodwill gesture by Prime Minister Imran Khan. Sensible quarters knew it well that it was not a weakness, as Pakistan had not only shown its resolve for peace but also its capability to defend its territory. It was purely a goodwill gesture and peace initiative by Pakistan, and also a message for millions of peace-loving Indians, he added.
He also paid rich tribute to the Pakistani media for showing maturity and playing a responsible role in the whole scenario. A section of Indian media was creating hype to further intensify the situation, he added.
Qureshi said in the joint session of Parliament, all the treasury and opposition members of Senate and National Assembly passed a unanimous resolution containing 21 points to present Pakistan's viewpoint over Kashmir, Indian aggression and other issues to the world.
The last point of the resolution was very important in which the Pakistani Parliament gave a clear message to the Indian Parliament: "We (Pakistan) want peace and playing our role in this regard and you (India) should also play your role."
"We also made them realize that there is not 'Modi mindset' in entire India as a large number of Indians want peace and do not want to see the dangerous consequences of war. Despite tense situation on both sides of the border, there is a large constituent of peace even in India."
He said the Punjab governor was a known and respected figure, being former member of UK House of Commons. "We have decided to contact the members of British Parliament and European Parliament for seeking their role.
He said he had talked to the EU head of Foreign Affairs, who wanted de-escalation, diffusion and restraint. The United States president and most of the countries, including the United Kingdom (UK), also wanted the same.
He expressed the hope that the British House of Commons, especially its British Pakistani members, would play their role so that world could differentiate between those who wanted peace and those who wanted war.
Qureshi said Pakistan was in need of peace. Its new government had an agenda of economic development, job creation and promotion of investment and tourism, which required peace, he added.
He said Pakistan had to pay the heavy price in the shape of 70,000 casualties due to tension on its western border for the last 17 years and the world knew well the Pakistan Army's role in defending its border from Swat to Wana.
He said Pakistan had always played an important role for regional peace. Today, Afghanistan and the US were engaged in peace talks in Doha for which Pakistan played a role, and how come it was possible that Pakistan would want war clouds hover over it on its eastern border.
To a question, Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar said being a former member of British parliament, he would send letters to all UK parliamentarians, asking them to play their role in restoring peace in the region.
"We are trying to bring all the parliamentarians on a point that there should be no war between the two countries and now they are convinced that Pakistan wants peace," he added.
He also paid tribute to the Pakistan Army which did not take any offensive action against the enemy, but retaliated in defence of the motherland.
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