Kingdom has not changed its stance on occupied Kashmir: FM Qureshi

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has rejected the speculations regarding Pak-Saudi Arabia’s ties and asserted that the Kingdom has not changed its stance on illegally occupied Kashmir.

Addressing a press conference today (Monday), the Foreign Minister informed that the Kingdom has neither asked Pakistan to return its loan nor has it suspended oil supply to Pakistan.

Referring to stance on Israel, FM Qureshi informed that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have the same stance on normalizing the ties with Israel. He also criticized media for keeping its shop vibrant by reporting based on mere assumptions.

The foreign minister insisted that ties between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, which he described as people-centric, had always been strong and will remain so in the future.

“Our relationship is not new. It’s not just between governments. So if I have a relationship with you, I will also have expectations. If we don’t have any relationship, why would we have expectations?” he added.

‘Recent Trip to China’

FM Qureshi informed that Chinese President Xi Jinping was very keen to visit Pakistan and that discussion in that regard had taken place. “Both sides understand that his visit will be of an extraordinary nature,” he added.

The Foreign Minister further informed that a roadmap was discussed and interaction between the two countries will be seen in the coming days.

He 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 China’s stance is very clear,” he added.

Meeting with Afghan Delegation

Commenting on Afghan delegation, he informed that the progress was being made towards a final peaceful solution. He revealed that his meeting with an Afghan Taliban delegation will be held tomorrow.

He also said that there were a lot of complications in the negotiations between the Taliban and United States now with the Afghan government. “The complications are being overcome one by one and the process was moving forward,” he added.