ISLAMABAD: Rubbishing talk of "estran-ged" relations with Saudi Arabia, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday said that ties between the two countries were as strong as ever, and said debt payment demand was a speculation, while oil imports would continue.
Speaking at a presser after returning from China, he said that Saudi Arabia had bided its time before taking a stance with regards to the Israel-Palestinian conflict as well. "Our stance on Kashmir is our own and we will continue to voice it," said Qureshi.
Saudi and Pakistan's relations have not changed, he stressed, adding that Prime Minister Imran Khan has made Islamabad's position on Palestine clear, which was in accordance with Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah's vision.
Responding to a question regarding the veracity of reports that Saudi Arabia had demanded from Pakistan money the kingdom had lent in addition to suspending a loan oil facility, Qureshi said those were just "speculative" reports, and criticised the media for keeping its "shop vibrant" by publishing and broadcasting reports based on "mere assumptions".
"Your question is based on an assumption. These are speculations," he told the reporter, and in a lighter vein, added: "If you don't speculate, how will you run your shop, at the end of the day, you have to report something. We don't want your shop to close, it should be more vibrant and I will try to make it so, don't worry."
Qureshi said the stand-off between India and China remained unresolved despite five rounds of negotiations between the two. He categorically rejected India's objections to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as well.
The foreign minister reiterated Islamabad's stance on Kashmir, adding that China supported Pakistan's demand that the Kashmir dispute should be resolved in line with the United Nations' resolutions on the matter.
Islamabad does not agree with India's claim that the IIOJK conflict is its internal matter, said Qureshi, calling for the Kashmiri people's right to plebiscite. Qureshi said that Pakistan's facilitatory role had led to a peace agreement between the United States and the Afghan Taliban.
The next logical step is an intra-Afghan dialogue, which should be initiated at the earliest, said Qureshi, adding that a delegation of the Afghan Taliban had also arrived in Pakistan for consultations. China is also in support of the Afghan peace process, he said. The people of Afghanistan desire peace and stability despite some spoilers wanting disturbance, he remarked.
Qureshi said that Chinese President Xi Jinping was very keen to visit Pakistan and that discussions in that regard had taken place between both sides. "He (Xi) is very keen to come," Qureshi told reporters.
"Both sides understand that his visit will be of an extraordinary nature. For that there is a need to understand the flux in regional and international situation and also to prepare before his trip."
The minister said that a "roadmap" was discussed and further interaction between the two countries would be seen in the coming days. The date of President Xi's visit will be decided keeping in mind the "developments and the Covid-19 situation", Qureshi said.
Qureshi also explained that the purpose of his recent visit was to "understand [China's] current state of mind and gauge their stance on India". "I can tell you that I didn't see any hesitation, their (China's) stance is very clear," he said. The foreign minister also touched upon the relations of other regional countries with India, saying that the impression that the Saarc member countries were "leaning towards India" was dissolving.
He referred to India's conflict with Nepal and the recent resolution passed by the latter's parliament in that regard in addition to "a lack of warmth" in India's ties with Bangladesh.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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