UN chief's stance on Kashmir jettisons India's narrative: FM

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Tuesday said that UN chief Antonio Guterres's latest statements on Kashmir had rebuffed India's narrative on Kashmir being its "internal matter".

Talking to journalists after addressing the concluding session of a two-day international conference on '40 Years of Hosting Afghan Refugees in Pakistan', organised by Pakistan in collaboration with the UNHCR, he said that India's narrative on Kashmir had been rejected with the UN chief's statements, reflecting that Kashmir was not India's internal matter but it was an international issue on which there existed many resolutions of the UN Security Council. In this interaction with the parliamentarians on Monday, Qureshi said that the visiting UN secretary general stated in his concluding remarks after listening to the concerns of the parliamentarians, removed the doubt, which India was trying to create.

"Firstly, India was trying to create an impression that it [Kashmir] is its internal matter. After his [Guterres] statement on Monday, I believe, the India's narrative has been rebuffed who stated that Kashmir is not its internal matter and that it is an international issue on which there are UN Security Council resolutions and we are bound by them," he said.

Secondly, Qureshi stated that the UN chief gave a clear message by saying that they have concerns on the grave human rights violations. Thirdly, he said that the UN secretary general offered his good offices in resolving the outstanding issues between Pakistan and India.

Referring to summoning of Turkish ambassador in New Delhi over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's address to the joint sitting of the parliament during his recent visit to Pakistan and the Indian external affairs ministry's rebuttal in response to the UN chief's statement, Qureshi said: "the Indian steps demonstrate that the developments are hitting India hard."

Qureshi said the two-day conference highlighted the efforts of Pakistan and the sacrifices by its people to host and support the Afghan refugees for the last four decades. To a question about any timeframe of the repatriation of the Afghan refugees, he did not give any timeframe yet he stated that as soon as capacity of the Afghan government is build, their return will gradually start. "We don't have [a] button to click and to send them [Afghan refugees] forthwith...They have to return back to their home and we desire that situations are created in Afghanistan as soon as possible, so that they are repatriated in a dignified way back to their country," Qureshi added.

He said that the Afghan government and the international community have to play their role, adding that the negligence by the international community with regard to the Afghan refugees was also highlighted at the conference. "We have been encouraged by the level of participation by the international community and the way they appreciated Pakistan's efforts," Qureshi said, adding that the two-day conference was also self explanatory in rejecting the propaganda by the critics against Pakistan.

Earlier, addressing the concluding session of the conference, Qureshi referred to the accusations leveled by second vice president of Afghanistan with regards to the alleged "safe havens" of the terrorists in the refugees camps and rejected the allegations. "It is easy to point fingers, but it must also be kept in mind that there is a long history of caring and sharing," he said in reference to allegations and Pakistan's generous contribution in hosting millions of Afghans. "The next time the second vice president of Afghanistan comes to Islamabad, [he] must also keep that in mind," Qureshi added.

He pointed out that the two sides had witnessed difficult times in their relations, but there was also a hope for positivity and cooperation. "We [Pakistan and Afghanistan] need to carve our future collectively. We need to build partnership for the future, which is essential," Qureshi said, while referring to the similar challenges being faced by the two countries and the historical bonds between the two nations.

In hosting the Afghan refugees, the foreign minister pointed out that there were limited resources of the successive governments, but the people of the country, especially the Pakhtun belt through their values and traditions made it possible to provide all the things required by the displaced Afghans. He pointed out that the participants of the conference applauded the unparalleled solidarity and hospitality of Pakistan and Iran and commended their inclusive policies towards Afghan refugees.

He said that the conference recognized and highly appreciated Pakistan's generosity and progressive policies that have enabled millions of Afghan refugees and nationals to access refuge, health, education, livelihood and social mobility without any discrimination.

The foreign minister said that the participants, including Prime Minister Imran Khan, UN secretary general, the second vice president of Afghanistan, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, ministers and others, stressed that the ultimate solution lies in Afghanistan and that voluntary repatriation and sustainable reintegration is the preferred solution for the majority of Afghan refugees.

He said that the conference acknowledged that the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) could yield peace dividends for the entire region, provided that there was a firm political will to implement it. Qureshi said that participants also highlighted that to enable sustainable return and reintegration; a pre-requisite would be a comprehensive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process and urgent investment in the priority areas of return.

Prime Minister's Adviser on Establishment Shehzad Arbab and Minister for States and Frontier Regions Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan also spoke on the occasions and highlighted the efforts of the government and the people of Pakistan in hosting the Afghan refugees over the last four decades.