ISLAMABAD : Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Monday said that a meeting of the apex committee is scheduled for Wednesday to brief the political and military leadership regarding recent developments in Ladakh. The foreign minister further said that all opposition parties are also invited to make unanimous policy on the Kashmir issue. He said that Pakistan will continue to expose Indian brutalities in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) at every international forum.
The foreign minister said that there is a clear stance that Pakistan is standing with Kashmiri brethren in their struggle for right to self-determination. He said, “We acknowledge the pledge of Kashmiri people to accede with Pakistan even before the independence of Pakistan.” He said the hooligans of RSS are targeting innocent Muslims and Modi has tarnished the secular and democratic face of India. He said that BJP’s fundamental policies towards Muslims have exposed India’s hegemonic designs and expansionist policies. He said Pakistan is moving in the right direction for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute. He said China is also unhappy with India’s mischievous activities in the region.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that all governments need technical expertise and that the inclusion of technical experts with the elected persons leads to a “healthy balance”. One must accept that this practice of declaring assets and dual nationality details of cabinet members is an unprecedented one, said the foreign minister while commenting on the ongoing controversy surrounding the dual nationality of SAPMs and advisers during a talk with a private news channel on Monday. Qureshi said that previous governments did not ensure that cabinet members’ assets were made public. He credited Prime Minister Imran Khan with the move to have cabinet members’ declare their assets, saying that it would help in transparency and holding them accountable. The foreign minister said that the Constitution is clear that dual nationality holders cannot become members of the parliament. “They can neither become members of the Senate nor the National Assembly,” he said. “It is clear in the Constitution. However, they are not prohibited from assuming any other office.”
Responding to a question about the conflict of interest of such members, Qureshi said that PTI’s policy was clear on the matter. “It is binding on everyone not to do anything that gives the perception that an individual used his government office for personal gains or financial growth,” he clarified. In response to a question as to whether the law should be the same for elected and non-elected members holding dual nationalities, the foreign minister said that both are needed in government to strike a healthy balance. “Elected members have [their own] value. They are representatives of the people but every elected government needs expertise,” he said. “The Constitution gives space to the prime minister to nominate four advisors who have technocratic expertise.”
