FO clarifies FM Bilawal remarks, says ‘No policy change’ on ties with India

Our Correspondent
ISLAMABAD: In response to some media queries and press reports about remarks made by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari regarding relations with India in his address at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), the Spokesperson stated that these were being interpreted out of context and portrayed incorrectly.
There is no change in Pakistan’s policy on India on which there is national consensus, the statement added. The spokesperson said Pakistan has always desired cooperative relations with all its neighbours, including India. We have consistently advocated constructive engagement and result-oriented dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues, including the core Jammu and Kashmir dispute, he pointed out. It is, however, India’s unabated hostility and retrogressive steps that have vitiated the environment and impeded the prospects of peace and cooperation. The onus, therefore, remains on India to take the necessary steps to create an enabling environment conducive for meaningful and result-oriented dialogue.
The Foreign Minister clearly articulated this perspective, referring to India’s illegal and unilateral actions in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) since 5 August 2019, describing them as an assault on the rights of the Kashmiri people, as well as rising Islamophobia in India, that created an environment unconducive for meaningful engagement.
The Foreign Minister’s remarks are better understood in the overall context of his key message of conflict resolution that he emphasized in his address at the think-tank event.