Dubai: Pakistan is willing to return the captured Indian pilot if means de-escalation of tension between the two countries, said Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi
"We are willing to return the captured Indian pilot if it leads to de-escalation and peace. We are ready for all positive engagement," Qureshi told Geo News, an Urdu TV channel in Pakistan.
"If Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is ready, Prime Minister Imran Khan is willing to talk to him," he said, stressing that Pakistan has been calling for peace since day one. "If India wants to talk about terrorism then we are ready," he said. He said Indian pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan is safe and healthy.
Qureshi revealed that India had handed over a dossier to the acting High Commissioner of Pakistan a day earlier. “I will evaluate the dossier with an open heart and then see if talks will be held on that," he said. "I wish the dossier was sent earlier. They attacked first and then sent the dossier," he said. "Our wish is peace and stability is our top priority," he maintained.
"God forbid there is a war, Pakistan will be affected but will India's economy not suffer?" he said.
Lamenting that India rejected talks with Pakistan earlier, Qureshi said: "Had the Indian foreign minister held talks with me in New York, I would have told her this is a Naya (new) Pakistan."
Regarding Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj attending the meeting of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Friday, Qureshi said, "India is neither a member of OIC nor an observer."
"I will not hesitate to meet her but OIC is not the forum for talks with Swaraj," Qureshi said.
In response to a question regarding closure of Pakistan's airspace, the foreign minister said: "The airspace has been closed for national and passenger security. It was SOP. We want the airspace to open at the earliest."
Qureshi further said: “India cannot solve the Kashmir issue through strength. We are ready to talk on the issues of Kashmir and terrorism with India. They can come and sit down and we will have a dialogue. After destruction, you also have to sit down for talks. Civilised dialogue is the only way forward.”
“India’s policy is not beneficial anymore. We are losing Kashmiris,” he stressed.
Qureshi welcomes Trump’s remarks
The foreign minister also welcomed US President Donald Trump's statement on Pakistan and India tensions. Addressing a news conference in Hanoi after a meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, the US president opened his remarks by discussing the situation with India and Pakistan. "We have reasonably attractive news from Pakistan and India," he said.
"They have been going at it and we have been involved in trying to have them stop and we have some reasonably decent news hopefully that will be coming to an end. It’s been going on for a long time for decades and decades. There is a lot of dislike unfortunately so we have been in the middle trying to help them both out, see if we can get some organisation and some peace. And I think that is probably going to be happening,” the US president said.
Saudi Foreign Minister to arrive in Pakistan
Qureshi also announced that Saudi Foreign Minister is visiting Pakistan with a letter from the Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
He said that he had a telephonic conversation with several foreign ministers on Wednesday.
