Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi claimed Wednesday that Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security & Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz’s recent statement had “completely whitewashed operation Zarb-e- Azb to nullity”.
Addressing a press conference in the federal capital, Qureshi said that the statement issued by the Foreign Office was not sufficient and they will have to disown the statement.
“Sartaj Aziz is like my elders and I respect him enormously. I have remained a foreign minister too and I understand the sensitivity of the matter. Aziz should have not given such a statement. His statement has marginalised the operation ZarB-e-Azb to nullity. Statement given by Foreign Office is not sufficient. Foreign office will have to disown his statement. Advisor on foreign affairs should clarify his statement,” the PTI leader said, adding that Pakistan was fighting a war against terrorism but was not clear on its policy.
Qureshi claimed that an Indian lobby was active in the US to malign Pakistan.
On the IDPs issue, he said that there were 300,000 IDPs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the government was extending all possible help to them.
The journalists staged a token walk-out on the bribery allegations levelled by PTI chief Imran Khan on them. Qureshi assured the journalists that he was aware of journalists’ concerns and he will talk to Khan on the issue.