ISLAMABAD: Newly appointed Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Monday pledged course correction in foreign policy and for improved consular service function of the country’s missions overseas, besides offering an olive branch to India and Afghanistan and vowing to bridge trust deficit with the United States.

“My priority would be to review the foreign policy and make course correction wherever it is required,” he said while speaking at his maiden press conference at the Foreign Office shortly after taking the oath of office.

Mr Qureshi emphasised that the pivot of the foreign policy of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government would be Pakistan and its interests.

The broader contours of the PTI government’s foreign policy shared by Mr Qureshi included strengthening international engagement, contributing to peace in neighbourhoods, pursuing economic diplomacy and building national consensus on foreign policy operations by engaging the opposition. He said all this would be done with an eye on achieving socio-economic development and improving the quality of lives of ordinary citizens.

Offers olive branch to India, Afghanistan and vows to bridge trust deficit with US

APP quoted Mr Qureshi as saying in response to a question,”There are pre-conceived notions about where the foreign policy of Pakistan is made. Let me be clear: the foreign policy will be made here at the Foreign Office”.

The minister said he would engage with all institutions including national security institutions for their input, similar to the policy across the world.

“Don’t you seek input from CIA and Pentagon? I am aware of their working and I will work for the betterment of Pakistan,” Mr Qureshi told a foreign journalist who raised the question on the alleged interference of other institutions in formulation of the foreign policy.

The new foreign minister would soon be engaging with opposition parties — the Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal — and for that he plans to invite foreign ministers during the PPP and PML-N tenures — Hina Rabbani Khar and Khawaja Asif.

On the external front, his immediate priority would be to fix problems in ties with India and Afghanistan.

“I want to tell the Indian foreign minister that we are not just neighbours; we are nuclear powers. We suffer from common problems. Therefore, dialogue is the only way forward,” Mr Qureshi said.

“We have to engage and cannot turn our backs on each other. We’ll have to acknowledge realities and outstanding disputes,” he said, adding that this is the only feasible route despite knowing that problems in ties are complicated and there are no quick fixes. “Continued and uninterrupted dialogue is the best course.”

The foreign minister disclosed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in his felicitations message to his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan gave the “message of willingness to begin on the path of dialogue and negotiations”.

He praised Mr Modi’s signal as a very positive message.

Mr Qureshi’s remarks, however, led to a minor controversy and were challenged by the Indian authorities.

The Indians clarified that PM Modi did not offer dialogue and had only expressed India’s commitment to building good neighbourly relations between India and Pakistan and desire to pursue meaningful and constructive engagement.

Mr Modi in his letter, it is said, also recalled his telephonic conversation with PM Khan in which the two leaders underscored “shared vision to bring peace, security and prosperity on the Indian subcontinent in order to make it free of terror and violence and to focus on development”.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office in a statement issued subsequently maintained that Foreign Minister Qureshi had not stated that “the Indian prime minister had made an offer of a dialogue”.

The FO, moreover, cautioned that “any attempts to instigate controversy and vitiate the environment are counterproductive and against the spirit of responsible journalism”.

Mr Qureshi said that reaching out to his Afghan counterpart would also be his priority. “I’ll call the Afghan foreign minister and visit Kabul carrying the message of friendship and a new start.”

He said the PTI government would build on the progress achieved under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity — the recently set up bilateral ties framework.

In reply to a question about relations with the US, Mr Qureshi said there was a trust deficit that had to be bridged. He said he had directed the country’s overseas missions to improve their attitude towards the expatriate community, as well as their consular services.

Canadian PM congratulates Khan

Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau congratulated PM Imran Khan on assuming the office. During a telephonic conversation, the Canadian PM wished Mr Khan well for implementing his party’s agenda for the welfare of Pakistani people, APP adds.

The two leaders discussed bilateral relations and stressed the need for further strengthening ties, particularly in the areas of trade, commerce and investment.

Mr Khan underscored the contributions of over 400,000 Canadians of Pakistani origin to Canada.

All-weather partnership

China on Monday expressed its willingness to work together with new Pakistan government to enhance friendly exchanges in various fields, accelerate the construction of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and promote greater development of China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership.

“We have already expressed our warm congratulations to Imran Khan on being elected as prime minister of Pakistan,” Chinese foreign ministry’s spokesperson Lu Kang said at a press briefing in Beijing.

“We value and appreciate the positive statement made by Prime Minister Imran Khan on China-Pakistan relations and the CPEC as you all are clear that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners,” he added.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2018