'Pakistan should not be dragged into any conflict,' says FM Bilawal Bhutto

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Tuesday said that Pakistan always advocated for dialogue and diplomacy as tools for the pursuit of peace in the world.

Addressing a joint presser along with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock, the foreign minister referred to the Russian-Ukraine conflict and said Pakistan has a clear position that it should not be dragged into any conflict.

Pakistan is a small and developing country, but it always advocates that international laws should be adhered to, he said, adding that all world conflicts should be resolved through peaceful means.

In replying to a question, Bilawal maintained that the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine could not be ignored and stressed that Pakistan would continue to advocate for dialogue and diplomacy as means in the pursuit of peace.

He said that considering the plight of people in Ukraine, Pakistan had dispatched four planeloads of humanitarian aid.

The foreign minister said Pakistan wanted to engage with all its neighbours. Pakistan was instrumental in establishing diplomatic ties between China and the United States, and it would continue to serve as a bridge.

Regarding the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IoK) issue, he said that he had been vociferously raising the Indian atrocities during his engagements at the global fora and in his meetings with his counterparts of various countries, including the US secretary of state.

The foreign minister warned that the situation in Kashmir had been fast deteriorating due to the provocative steps of India that were trying to undermine the Muslim majority by marginalising and turning it into a minority through illegal steps.

The foreign minister said the international community must immediately take notice of the increasing incidents of persecution of minorities and the rising tide of Islamophobia in India.

Bilawal, citing the recent provocative and sacrilegious statements by the BJP leaders, said that such outrageous and highly condemnable statements had hurt the sentiments of Muslims all over the world.

He said it was proof that India has turned into a fascist country and that it was no longer a secular India, but dominated by Hindutva ideology.

The foreign minister said Pakistan wanted peace with India, but it required a rational approach from the other side, adding that with such irrational steps by India, the space for peace was being squeezed.

The foreign minister reiterated that peace in South Asia was linked to a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue.