Australian FM briefed on PM's call for providing relief to developing countries

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi held a telephone conversation with his Australian counterpart Marise Payne Thursday and discussed the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as other issues of mutual interest, the Foreign Office said.

Expressing deep condolences over loss of precious lives, the foreign minister appreciated the efforts undertaken by the Australian government for dealing with the outbreak and mitigating its economic impact.

Recalling Australia's valuable support during 2010 floods and 2005 earthquake, Qureshi expressed the hope that Pakistani diaspora in Australia, particularly the students, will be looked after.

The foreign minister briefed the Australian foreign minister on the measures being taken by Pakistan to contain the pathogen.

He highlighted Prime Minister Imran Khan's call for debt relief and restructuring for developing countries to enable them to free up resources to combat the disease, save precious lives, and shore up economies.

The foreign minister also highlighted concerns relating to on-going restrictions in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K), now entering ninth month, which were hampering dissemination of information and preventing unfettered supply of medicines and other essentials needed to combat the disease.

He also called for release of all IOJ&K political prisoners arbitrarily incarcerated by India.

The foreign minister further drew attention to India's opportunistic attempts to change IOJ&K's demographic structure in contravention of the UN Security Council resolutions and international law, including the 4th Geneva Convention.

Underscoring the importance of collaborative endeavours to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, the two foreign ministers agreed to stay engaged, the Foreign Office further stated.

Earlier in the day, the foreign minister received Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing at his office and discussed with the ambassador the situation arising out of the coronavirus pandemic.

During the meeting, the Chinese envoy reiterated his country's willingness to continue supporting Pakistan in fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The two sides also reviewed the latest situation arising out of coronavirus.

Speaking on the occasion, Qureshi said that Chinese medical assistance to Pakistan would help increase Islamabad's capabilities to contain the virus.

He said that Pakistan was learning from the experiences of Chinese doctors and paramedical staff, adding that Chinese medics had successfully treated their coronavirus-hit population.

Foreign Minister Qureshi was also a chief guest at an event on Thursday at the Foreign Office in which as part of nation's efforts to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and support our brave health professionals, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs donated 1,000 N-95 and 1,000 surgical masks for use at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).

The Foreign Office Women Association, a charitable organization, also donated 150 personal protective equipments and 150 face shield to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences.