Karachi
Pakistan said that it would welcome the help of America or any other country to resolve the Kashmir issue. Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman Shafkat Ali Khan said this in his weekly press briefing.
When Khan was asked about America’s interest in the Kashmir issue, he said, “We welcome help not only from America, but from any country that can help stabilize the situation and resolve the Kashmir dispute.”
He further said that this dispute is at the center of peace and security issues in South Asia. On the other hand, India has been continuously saying that it does not want any third party participation in a conversation with Pakistan. The 1972 Shimla Agreement also rejected the mediation of a third party between the two countries.
America’s interest welcomed- Pakistan
On the question of any contact between Pakistan and India since the four -day struggle between the two countries in May, Khan said that no such contact has been made. He also added that “we welcome America’s interest in working with both sides to resolve the issue.”
Khan said that Pakistan’s overall diplomatic situation is well known. He said, “We want to take the path of diplomacy, but India will have to make its mind. At present, there has been no interaction between our two sides other than regular diplomatic contact.”
India’s stand clear
India has made it clear that it will talk with Pakistan only on the return of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) and the issue of terrorism. Talking about terrorism in Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, he said that Pakistan has raised the issue of terrorism spreading from Afghanistan many times.
He also dismissed that there was a secret agreement with the US to remove the minerals. He also described the allegations of involvement of Pakistani citizens in the Ukraine conflict as “baseless” and said that Ukraine officials have not formally approached Pakistan on the issue.
