ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday expressed his pleasure over the clarification issued by the United States wherein it stated that there had been no change in their policy on Kashmir as they still considered it a disputed territory.
The foreign minister, in a statement, said that Pakistan immediately presented its stance following a tweeted by the US State Department.
We are disappointed to note the reference to Jammu & Kashmir in the U.S. Department of State’s tweet regarding resumption of 4G mobile internet in #IIOJK. The reference is inconsistent with the disputed status of J&K as recognized by numerous UNSC resolutions & int’l community. 1/3
— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) February 12, 2021
He was referring to a State Department’s tweet on February 10 about the resumption of 4G service in which Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) was referred as “India’s Jammu and Kashmir”, a move that Pakistan viewed was “inconsistent” with the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir as recognized by numerous United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and the international community.
“We welcome the resumption of 4G mobile internet in India’s Jammu and Kashmir. This marks an important step for local residents and we look forward to continued political & economic progress to restore normalcy in J&K,” tweeted the South and Central Asia Bureau of the State Department.
However, the matter was later cleared by a spokesperson for the governmental body. “I want to be very clear there has been no change in US policy in the region,” State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters, clarifying the views expressed in the abovementioned tweet.
Moreover, FM Qureshi said that like elsewhere in the world, the economy in the Gulf countries was also hit by Covid-19 which resulted into layoffs and consequent repatriation of many people.
Likewise, the pandemic also adversely impacted aviation, hoteling and restaurant businesses as well as the construction industry.
He said that during his recent visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), he had discussed the matter in detail with his counterpart. The UAE’s reservations were not Pakistan-specific, though the latter was trying to address those, he explained.
The foreign minister said that the discussion was underway and hoped for a better outcome.
Referring to Naval Exercise AMAN-21 being hosted by Pakistan Navy and participated by 40 international navies, the foreign minister termed it a great success of Pakistan.
The exercises would also provide an opportunity for discussion on blue economy, Qureshi said and also hinted at visiting Karachi on the invitation of the naval chief.
Earlier this week, India ended an 18-month-long ban on high-speed internet services in occupied Kashmir, where opposition to the Indian rule has deepened after New Delhi revoked the region’s semi-autonomous status in August 2019.
According to a 2019 Congressional Research Service report of August 2019, a longstanding goal of US policy in South Asia has been to prevent India-Pakistan conflict from escalating to inter-state war. This meant the United States has sought to avoid actions that overtly favoured either party. Over the past decade, however, Washington has grown closer to India while relations with Pakistan continue to be viewed as clouded by mistrust, CRS report said.
Therein, Pakistan on Thursday had expressed “disappointment” over a tweet by the United States State Department for making a reference regarding Jammu and Kashmir “inconsistent” with its disputed status.
