Modi?s request to use Pak airspace rejected: FM
 

MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said Pakistan has refused India the use of its airspace due to its poor record of human rights violations, lockdown of the held Valley and killing of innocent Kashmiris. Addressing the inaugural ceremony of incomplete portion of Motorway (M-4) between Khanewal and Abdul Hakim, held at Shamkot interchange, he said India had requested for the use of Pakistan’s airspace to fly Modi’s aircraft and the Foreign Office received request on Sunday morning. However, the Foreign Office, in consultation with the departments concerned, decided to refuse Indian Prime Minister’s aircraft to use Pakistan’s airspace. The FO summoned Indian deputy high commissioner and informed him about Pak refusal. Qureshi said it was quite impossible that Pakistan allows India to use Pakistan airspace on Oct 27 when Indian forces had entered Kashmir illegally in 1947 and invaded Valley for its illegal occupation. He said Indian narrative of democratic and secular state had been rejected by the world after it revoked special status of Jammu and Kashmir. He said the world was recognising Pakistan as democratic state and the democracy was strengthening, flourishing in the country due to policies of the government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.Qureshi said the PTI government was going to open Kartarpur Corridor on Nov 9, and 5,000 Sikh pilgrims would visit their sacred place daily and return in the evening. There would be no visa restrictions on the visitors. He said India should demonstrate courage and allow Pakistanis to visit Ajmer Sharif and other shrines in India and meet their relatives.Pakistan is the centre of Gandhara civilisation where world’s oldest and unique Buddhist stupas are still intact. Pakistan would invite Buddhists from all over the world to freely visit their oldest civilisation in the next phase of policy, he added.Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that India was claiming normality in occupied Kashmir, but it did not allow international observers to visit Kashmir Valley. He said Pakistan had invited international observers and fully facilitated them in their visits to Azad Kashmir. He said Indian army chief claimed destroying three launch-pads in Kashmir, which was a fake and baseless claim. Pakistan had invited 23 diplomats and arranged their trip to the affected area where they freely met with people and gathered information. The diplomats later wrote to their respective governments that Indian claim of destroying three launch-pads was baseless and fake. Their diplomats could not find a single proof of launch-pads in the targeted area.Qureshi said the whole Pakistani nation was observing black day today (Oct 27) when India had annexed Kashmir by force. He said Indian forces curfew and lockdown in the Valley was continuing for the last 85 days, which had exposed India in the world. India is controlling the held Kashmir with the Public Safety Act and it has turned the whole Valley into a prison. India is doing all this in the disguise of democracy, he regretted.The Indian foreign ministry had been spending millions of dollars to influence United States, European Union, United Nations Human Rights Council, House of Commons and OIC to convince them in fever of India but it had failed in its all attempts.About the country politics, Qureshi said all political parties had consensus on 1973 Constitution, continuation of democracy, which was the only source of uniting Pakistan. All political parties were standing with the government over the Kashmir despite their differences. All political parties agreed that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was a game-changer in the region. He said all this is happening due to political maturity of the PTI government.Qureshi said the opposition parties demanded space for their so-called ‘Azadi march’ and sit-in in Islamabad. The government initiated dialogue with the opposition parties and reached an agreement and allocated a space for the march and the sit-in. He said the PTI government had acted wisely and was expecting the opposition parties to honour their commitments and the agreement. He said the Azadi march participants would not create hurdles in the way of normal life. They would not create hurdles in the way of public servants and their office hours.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/com/cwEr/~4/8mEoQSGqU74

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