Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Thursday announced that Pakistan will take the Indian government's revocation of the special status of the occupied Jammu and Kashmir to the UN Security Council after consultation with China. Speaking at a news conference, Qureshi said that he will soon be leaving for China for consultations with the Chinese leadership on India's illegal actions of scrapping Articles 370 and 35-A, the steps rejected by both Pakistan and China.
"To move on the proposal to take the matter to the UN Security Council, needs [further] consultations and the primary consultation will be held with China. We've already taken the Chinese ambassador here into confidence and for further deliberation I will be leaving for China soon," Qureshi responded to a question when asked when Pakistan will move the UN Security Council on the Modi government's illegal actions.
The National Security Committee on Wednesday decided to take the matter to the UN, including the Security Council, besides others steps such as downgrading diplomatic relations with India, suspending bilateral trade, reviewing bilateral arrangements etc.
Responding to a question about the Indian government's reaction which asked Pakistan to review its decision on the steps, Qureshi said that Pakistan would review its decision on the steps once India also reviews its illegal actions. "Let's review the actions. You revisit your actions, we will ours," the foreign minister said in response to India's reaction.
The Indian External Affairs Ministry on Thursday described revoking Article 370 as 'entirely the internal affair of India' and also urged Pakistan to review the actions taken in response 'so that normal channels for diplomatic communications are preserved.'
Qureshi, however, rejected the Indian claims that scrapping the Articles 370 and 35A is its internal matter, saying that the actions aimed at bringing demographic changes and cited the references in which the first Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru recognised the issue of Kashmir as a disputed matter between the two countries and the commitments made by him both at the international forums and with Pakistan, and was also at home for solution of the issue as per the UNSC resolutions.
The foreign minister also warned and sought to share his fear with international community that India may stage a Pulwama like drama and blame it on Pakistan. "I want to share my concerns with the international community through this platform that we fear that India can resort to a false flag operation - Pulwama-II like drama - to blame Pakistan for it," he added.
To another query, he said that Pakistan is looking towards diplomatic and political options, and not military, in this situation. However, it will take proper safeguards as vigilance in the wake of deployment of nine hundred thousand Indian troops in the held valley.
He also rejected the impression that suspension of trade ties with India will have any impact on the trade with Afghanistan as well as Pakistan's commitment to facilitate the peace process in the war-torn country. "Our commitments with friendly country Afghanistan will remain the same, as we value our ties with Afghanistan and the suspension of trade ties between Pakistan and India will have no impact on the trade with Afghanistan," Qureshi said.
Describing India as a spoiler in Afghanistan without naming it, Qureshi said: "We had no doubt that they are spoilers".
He also referred to his telephonic conversation with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, saying that he communicated Pakistan's concerns to the European Union on the unilateral steps of revocation of special status of Kashmir by India. Qureshi said that Mogherini shared the concerns of the EU about India's steps at this critical stage when the issue of Afghanistan is leading towards its solution. "Why has this issue been taken at this stage, they [EU] are deliberating upon it," Qureshi said while quoting Mogherini as having shared with him.
He said that he informed the EU Representative for Foreign Affairs that Pakistan will take the matter to the UN Security Council and also apprised her of the possible far-reaching and dangerous consequences of the Indian act of revoking Article 370.
He said the Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had told the EU representative for foreign affairs that changing of status of occupied Kashmir was their internal matter and the step was aimed at socio-economic development of the territory.
Qureshi said he apprised Mogherini that this impression is totally wrong and Pakistan rejects it out-rightly. "What kind of development is this that the Indian authorities have turned the occupied territory into a jail for them by deploying 900,000 troops and also taken the entire population hostage," Qureshi said.
He said that Federica Mogherini expressed the UE concern over escalating tensions in the region and also the European bloc's desire for dialogue to resolve the Kashmir issue. The foreign minister said it was an Indian act that escalated tensions, adding that it is the Indian government that always avoided talks to resolve the issues between the two countries. However, he said that Pakistan will welcome any initiative by the EU for talks between Islamabad and New Delhi.
About the Kartarpur Corridor, he said that Pakistan stands by its commitment of opening of Kartarpur Corridor. "We had a desire and we are still committed to pursuing the project, as we respect all the religions. India should be asked whether opening Kartarpur Corridor is its desire or its announcement was made on public pressure?" he asked.
About the status of the Simla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration following the Indian government's unilateral actions, Qureshi said that it is the Indian government which has blatantly violated the bilateral agreement in which India has acknowledged Kashmir as a disputed territory. However, he said that the Pakistan's legal team will give its opinion on the status of the agreement.
The foreign minister also dismissed reports that the country's airspace has been closed in the wake of the Indian illegal steps.
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