ISLAMABAD – Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Thursday said Pakistan is willing to consider returning the Indian pilot, captured alive by Pakistani troops in Azad Jammu and Kashmir yesterday, if it means de-escalation of ties between the two countries post airstrikes on both sides.
Talking to a private news channel Thursday, Qureshi said Islamabad wanted to give a message to the Indian public that Pakistan is a responsible nation.
“I want to assure the Indian public that your pilot is safe here. We are aware of Geneva Convention. The pilot is absolutely safe here, we are taking care of him pretty well, including medicine and food,” he said. “We don’t have a personal enmity with him. Pakistan is ready to take necessary steps to de-escalate the current situation,” he added.
The statement comes a day after India handed a dossier on Pulwama bombing to Pakistan and demanded immediate and safe return of the Wing Commander Varthaman, who was taken into custody by Pakistani armed forces after his MiG 21 Bison was shot down by Pakistan Air Force fighter jets along the Line of Control. Another Indian aircraft, downed by the PAF pilots, had fallen inside the Indian Occupied Kashmir. The fate of the other pilot is unknown.
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FM Qureshi further informed that he has “just received the [Indian] dossier but has not gotten the chance to examine it.”
“We briefed parliamentary leaders last night, there was a meeting of the cabinet. There is the joint session. I will still say that we will see and examine the dossier with an open heart. I wish they [India] would have sent this dossier earlier. They attacked first and then sent the dossier. If they would have sent the dossier first and sought Pakistan’s answer there would be no need for an attack.”
Khan ‘ready to talk to Modi’
The foreign minister further said, “Prime Minister Imran Khan is ready to talk to Narendra Modi on the telephone and ready to extend an invitation of peace. Is Modi ready?”
Asserting that Pakistan has been calling for peace since day one, Qureshi said, “If India wants to talk about terrorism then we are ready.”
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/pm-imran-khan-chairs-national-command-authority-will-address-nation-on-pakistan-india-situation-soon/
He once again invited India for talks and said dialogue is the only civilised way forward. “If India showed aggression, we showed defence,” Qureshi asserted.
Stating that “we are not stuck in the past,” Qureshi said, “We want peace in the region. There is no growth from war, only a decline in happiness.”
“India cannot solve the Kashmir issue through strength. We are ready to talk on the issues of Kashmir and terrorism with India. They can come and sit down and we will have a dialogue,” he continued.
Upholding that war is not the solution, FM Qureshi added, “After destruction, you also have to sit down for talks. Civilised dialogue is the only way forward.”
“God forbid there is a war, Pakistan will be affected but will India’s economy not suffer?” Qureshi questioned.
The foreign minister also welcomed US President Donald Trump’s statement on Pakistan and India tensions.
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