No recognition of Israel on table, says FM Ishaq Dar

NEW YORK: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said that Pakistan has no plans to recognize Israel.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said this at a press conference in New York and said that the visit to the US has been successful in every respect.

Referring to the meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the telephone call on Monday, the Deputy Prime Minister said that the meeting was very useful.

We assured him that peace in the region is not possible without negotiations. Trade and tariffs were also discussed. Agreements on tariffs will be reached in the next two to three days.

To a question about participating in the conference on the two-state solution, Ishaq Dar said that he had given a strong statement on behalf of Pakistan at the UN conference.

Pakistan supports the two-state solution, and the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land should end immediately.

Kashmir Dispute & Indus Water Treaty

To a question about the Kashmir issue, the Deputy Prime Minister said that he had highlighted the Kashmir issue with Palestine at every opportunity during his presidency of the Security Council.

Ishaq Dar believed that if there is a dialogue with India, it will be a comprehensive dialogue. Whenever India wants to have a composite dialogue, Pakistan is ready; however, he categorically said that India cannot unilaterally terminate the Indus Waters Treaty.

He said that we have the right to three rivers. If the water is diverted, we will not accept it. We are not ready to give up even a drop of water. Pakistan’s position in the arbitration court on the water issue is better.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that the Pakistan Army, under the leadership of Field Marshal General Asim Munir, is striving for peace; however, Pakistan is on alert due to controversial statements by India.

To a question regarding PTI founder Imran Khan, the Deputy Prime Minister said that when you take up arms, the law takes its course. Cases against the PTI founder are a court matter.

Regarding bilateral meetings, the Deputy Prime Minister said that he had bilateral meetings with Saudi Arabia, Britain, Bangladesh, Kuwait, and Palestinian leaders. Thus, 8 bilateral meetings were held on the sidelines of the UN meeting.

To a question, he said that we have brotherly relations with China, and we also have a long-standing relationship with the United States. The issue of minerals will be resolved under the formal procedure.

Minerals

He said that 50 percent of the minerals belong to the province and 50 percent to the federal government. If work is done on minerals, it will provide employment opportunities to the local population. It is not possible that someone extracts minerals by investing billions of dollars and gives them to you for free.

To a question related to Iran, the Deputy Prime Minister said that it is a matter of honor that slogans of gratitude to Pakistan were raised in the Iranian parliament.

In response to the Pak-Afghanistan situation, the Deputy Prime Minister said that he had gone to Afghanistan on April 19, held talks with Afghan caretaker ministers. The decisions taken were implemented on April 20.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that if a railway line is laid to Afghanistan, we will be connected to the whole world.

Telephonic Call with Secretary Rubio

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

According to the Foreign Office spokesperson, the telephone conversation between Ishaq Dar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was a continuation of the meeting held in Washington last Friday.

The Foreign Office spokesperson said that the two leaders discussed bilateral issues, including tariffs, regional and global issues.

It should be noted that recently, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington and stressed that the Kashmir issue should be resolved following UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office, the two leaders pledged to build a long-term Pak-US partnership, agreed to expand economic and trade relations, and strengthen counter-terrorism and security cooperation. They also reiterated their commitment to work together on bilateral, regional, and global issues of concern.