Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Sunday criticised Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s comment that any dialogue with Islamabad on the Kashmir matter would be restricted only to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Singh made the remark at a Bharatiya Janata Party rally in Haryana.
“We have seen the comments made by the Indian defence minister today,” The News quoted Qureshi as saying. “These are reflective of the predicament that India finds itself in, after its illegal and unilateral actions imperilling peace and security in the region and beyond.”
The foreign minister said “the world community, including the United Nations Security Council, have taken cognisance” of the situation in Kashmir. On Friday, the council held consultations behind closed doors on the matter.
This exchange of words between the Indian and Pakistani leadership came two days after Singh set off a storm by saying at an event in Pokhran that India had always adhered to its “no first use” policy on nuclear weapons but “what happens in the future will depend on circumstances”. On Saturday, Qureshi said Singh’s statement was a “damning reminder” of the country’s “unbridled thirst for violence”.
Hours after Singh’s comments on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan questioned the safety of India’s nuclear arsenal and said the world must wake up to the “threat”.
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