Pakistan cannot see a way forward for bilateral talks with India: FO Spokesperson

Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr. Mohammad Faisal said Pakistan cannot see a way forward for bilateral talks with India.

During his weekly briefing on Thursday, Dr Faisal said Pakistan has never stepped away from bilateralism but India never accepted it.

We can’t go forward, he said to a question on whether there was a chance of bilateral talks between the two neighbors. We can’t see a way forward, he added.

Regarding a tweet by Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh claiming the entirety of Kashmir as India’s and Gilgit Baltistan as well, Dr Faisal said Pakistan’s position on the matter is clear.

“They can say what they want but it won’t change the ground reality,” he dismissed.

The spokesperson said India took steps in Jammu and Kashmir State in haste.

He criticized steps taken in haste and those that are too simplistic.

You have to accommodate the people, what they want, the UN Security Council laws and your own laws, he told India.

He also clarified that no final decision has been made regarding Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s announcement that Pakistan was considering approaching the ICJ against India.

We are consulting legal experts but this is a delicate issue and no final decision has been made, he said.

Dr. Faisal confirmed that the minister would be attending the UN Human Rights Committee meeting in Geneva ahead of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York.

He said Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua is already there as a special envoy and has been reaching out to OIC countries and others as well.

Regarding the airspace closure along the Eastern border, he said the issue has been discussed at the highest levels and options considered.

Pakistan can exercise it as a time of our choosing but no decision has been made as yet, he said.

Dr. Faisal said that India has concurred to Pakistan’s proposal on technical talks on the Kartarpur Corridor and the technical meeting will be held on August 30 at zero point.

Pakistan is committed to completing and inaugurating the Kartarpur Corridor, he reiterated.

He also denied that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had gotten in touch with Pakistan, as US President Donald Trump had said he would do during a recent press conference.

However, he said Pakistan was “actively involved” with the Indian government regarding talks on the Kulbhushan Jadhav case.