–FM Qureshi says UN secretary general has guaranteed to play ‘any role he can’
–Turkish FM says will stand with Islamabad in pace of Indian misadventures
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday said the United Nations (UN) secretary general and Turkey had expressed concerns over the heightened tensions between Pakistan and India and assured Islamabad of their all-out cooperation.
According to Qureshi, during a telephonic conversation, he told UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that India attacked Pakistan. “New Delhi violated the Line of Control (LoC) by intruding Pakistani territory,” he told the UN official and shared the details of the Indian misadventure.
“The Indian Air Force (IAF) dropped four bombs, but thankfully it resulted in no casualties. Contrary to Indian claims of having killed 300 people, not even a single body was discovered.”
The FM told the UN secretary general that had Pakistani armed forces not responded in time, there could have been a huge loss. “The violation of Indian aircraft was a political need of the Modi administration,” he added.
“The Indian prime minister is trying to befool his nation and the opposition to cover up his political failures,” Qureshi asserted and added that the Modi government was inflicting damages to regional peace.
Further speaking of his telephonic conversation with the UN secretary general, the FM said he apprised Guterres of the prevailing situation and also mentioned the two letters he had written to him.
“I brought the matter of violation of UN Charter and international laws to the attention of the UN secretary general,” Qureshi said. The UN secretary general, he added, assured Pakistan of full cooperation. “Guterres said he will play whatever role he can.”
Speaking of the conversation with his Turkish counterpart, the FM said that Turkey has announced to stand with Pakistan and its people in the pace of Indian aggression.
Qureshi said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu assured him that Turkey had declared to oppose if the Indian external affairs minister was given an opportunity to speak at the upcoming Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Abu Dhabi.
Earlier in the day, the Pakistan Air Force shot down two Indian aircraft. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said a MiG 21 was shot down and its pilot is missing.
The action came after PAF conducted strikes across LoC from within Pakistani airspace. The strikes were in response to Indian misadventures from Tuesday when Indian military aircraft had violated the LoC as they “intruded” from the Muzaffarabad sector.
The aircraft were forced to return owing to the timely response of the PAF.
The incursion into the Pakistani air space followed a series of threats by Indian political and military leadership following the attack on Indian paramilitary troops in Pulwama on February 14.
