ISLAMABAD: As Pakistan and India locked horns over Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s phone conversation with All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the Foreign Office has rejected Indian objections and reaffirmed the country’s continued support to Kashmiris for their right to self-determination.

“The government of Pakistan categorically rejects the objections raised by India to the Pakistan foreign minister’s telephonic call to All Parties Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq,” a statement issued by the FO spokesman’s office said, as Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisari was on Thursday summoned by Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua to receive a protest over Indian reaction to Mr Qureshi’s phone conversation with the APHC leader.

Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India Sohail Mahmood was late Wednesday night summoned to India’s external affairs ministry, where Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale told the high commissioner that India viewed Foreign Minister Qureshi’s conversation with the Kashmiri leader as an interference in its internal affairs, an attempt to undermine India’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity and violation of norms of diplomacy. Mr Gokhale warned that “persistence of such behaviour by Pakistan will have implications”.

Both countries’ high commissioners summoned to receive protests over phone call

Foreign Minister Qureshi had called Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz on Tuesday to update him about a conference being organised at the House of Commons in London and an exhibition being held there on Feb 4-5 to highlight the Jammu and Kashmir dispute and grave human rights violations against the Kashmiri people by India.

While recalling that Kashmir was a recognised dispute between India and Pakistan, Ms Janjua, during her meeting with High Commissioner Bisaria, underscored that this fact [about Kashmir’s disputed nature] had been recognised by UN Security Council resolutions and numerous bilateral documents, including Simla Agreement and Lahore Declaration.

The Kashmir issue remained on the agenda of the UN Security Council, she added. She told the Indian envoy that Pakistan would continue to support the Kashmiris politically, morally and diplomatically. The Indian attempt to equate the legitimate and indigenous struggle of the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination with terrorism was a travesty, she said.

The Indian foreign secretary had alleged that Mr Qureshi’s telephonic conversation “confirmed yet again that it [Pakistan] officially abets and encourages individuals associated with terrorism and anti-India activities”.

FO spokesman Dr Muhammad Faisal, while speaking at his weekly media briefing, said Indian reaction to the foreign minister’s call was “political gimmickry and electioneering”. He asked the Indian government to stop dragging Pakistan into their electoral politics. “It is your election and you should not try to acquire votes at our expense,” he maintained.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2019