Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday ruled out any progress in peace talks with India before the upcoming general elections in the neighbouring country.
Speaking to journalists after attending a meeting of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Qureshi said he briefed the members on the government’s foreign policy. He added that the meeting strongly condemned atrocities being committed by the Indian security forces in Jammu and Kashmir.
The foreign minister said that the meeting also discussed Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent visits to Saudi Arabia and China and Pakistan’s bilateral relations with India and Afghanistan.
Dismissing all rumours, Qureshi said that Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman recently acquitted by the Supreme Court in Pakistan’s most high-profile blasphemy case, was present in Pakistan. He, however, added that the case should not be discussed in the media for being sub-judice.
The foreign minister also avoided commenting on a question regarding Superintendent Police (SP) Tahir Dawar’s abduction and alleged murder in Afghanistan.
On Monday, Foreign Minister Qureshi told his Canadian counterpart that Pakistan recognises Aasia Bibi’s legal rights.
