ISLAMABAD/LONDON: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government was committed to granting voting rights to Pakistan nationals living abroad and facilitate them through various initiatives, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said.
Addressing at a gathering of Pakistan diaspora in the United Kingdom in London, the foreign minister lauded the contributions of the British-Pakistanis in cementing the ties between Islamabad and London.
In the #UK, Foreign Minister @SMQureshiPTI is undertaking a series of meetings interacting with the leadership, members of the Pakistani community, British Parliamentarians and media.
A thread with live updates on all meetings
— Foreign Minister’s Public Diplomacy 🇵🇰 (@FMPublicDiploPK) September 27, 2021
The event was attended by the Pakistan community including MPs, academics, corporates and professionals, the Foreign Office said in a statement.
Qureshi apprised the participants of the measures taken by the government to facilitate them including granting the right to vote to overseas nationals.
He appreciated in particular the buy-in of initiatives such as Roshan Digital Accounts on part of the community.
He apprised the gathering of efforts being made by Pakistan to raise the Kashmir dispute and highlight severe rights and humanitarian crises in Indian-occupied Kashmir at every forum, including the UN General Assembly Session in New York that concluded last week.
A dossier containing evidence of war crimes committed by India had been prepared which included audio recordings and video evidence of rights violations.
He invited the attendees to confirm for themselves the veracity of the evidence shared therein. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s unflinching commitment to stand in solidarity with its Kashmiri brethren until the realisation of their inalienable right to self-determination.
The foreign minister informed the audience that Pakistan had extended every possible support for the evacuation of foreign and Afghanistan locals who wanted to exit the country and also set up a humanitarian corridor to serve the purpose.
It was imperative that the international community did not repeat mistakes of the past, stayed engaged, and acted to prevent a humanitarian disaster, he said.
Earlier, welcoming Qureshi, Pakistan’s high commissioner to the UK, Moazzam Ahmad Khan, apprised the foreign minister of the measures being taken to enhance communication with the Pakistan community and improve their access to the services offered by the mission and its consulates across the Britain.
He thanked the foreign minister for taking a personal interest in resolvong the issue of removal of Pakistan from the so-called travel red list.
He also recounted that pursuant to the foreign minister’s emphasis on economic diplomacy, the mission had been making concerted efforts to increase and diversify exports, enhance remittances and encourage Foreign Direct Investment.
This had resulted in a substantial and unprecedented increase in exports and remittances, and an improvement in FDI.
