TASHKENT – Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is currently attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting, asserted that Islamabad has no plans of holding any bilateral meeting with India, Pakistani media reported.
Bilawal held six bilateral meetings with foreign ministers of Central Asian countries on the sidelines of the conference which is being held in connection with preparations for the SCO Heads of State meeting scheduled to be held in September, Geo News reported.
Bilawal held meetings with his counterparts from Afghanistan, China, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
“There are no plans of any meetings between Indian and Pakistani prime ministers in September,” Bilawal said, adding that both India and Pakistan are part of the SCO and the two countries are only engaged in the context of the broad-based activities of the organisation.
He said: “India is our neighbouring country. While one can decide on a lot of things, one cannot choose its neighbours, therefore, we should get used to living with them.”
Bilawal recalled that after 2019, constructive dialogue with India became difficult, “while statements based on Islamophobia by Indian officials are further creating hurdles in dialogue”.
He maintained, “We are trying to find economic opportunities for our people”.
The government is committed to improving economic ties with all the countries, including the US, he added. -IANS
