India’s foreign policy response ‘shockingly pathetic’: Mehbooba on Mirwaiz-Qureshi call

Srinagar

Reacting to a phone conversation between the Hurriyat (m) chairman Mohammad Umar Farooq and Pakistan FM Shah Mohammad Qureshi, the PDP president and former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti said that “foreign policy dictated by the compulsions of electoral politics is shockingly pathetic.”

In a series of tweets, the PDP president said: “Terming a phone call between Pakistani FM & Mirwaiz Umar Farooq sahab as anti India has reduced ties to an unbelievable nadir.”

“Ironically it was NDA under Vajpayee ji that facilitated meetings between Hurriyat leaders & Pakistani dignitaries plus allowing them to visit Pakistan to hold talks with the establishment including the then President General Musharraf.”

A foreign policy dictated by the compulsion of electoral politics is shockingly pathetic, Mehbooba wrote on Twitter.

Earlier, soon after Qureshi called Mirwaiz, in reaction, India told Pakistan to lay off on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood.

Now Pakistan’s Foreign Office has rejected objection raised by India over Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s telephone call to Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. According to a statement issued by Pakistan Foreign Office said that we would like to reiterate that Kashmir is an outstanding dispute between India and Pakistan, and acknowledged as such through UN Security Council resolutions as well as numerous Pakistan-India documents including the Simla Agreement and Lahore Declaration.

“The Kashmir issue remains on the agenda of the UN Security Council,” the statement said. “We also categorically reject any insinuation that seeks to project as “terrorism” the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiri people for self-determination. This is an outright travesty,” it said.

“Pakistan is committed to extending its political, diplomatic and moral support to the people of Jammu & Kashmir. The leadership in Pakistan has always been communicating with the Kashmiri leadership. This is not anything new,” said the statement.

“Pakistan will maintain its support and solidarity till the time the Kashmir dispute is resolved peacefully, in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the people of Jammu & Kashmir,” Pakistan Foreign Office statement said.

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