MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) does not believe in the policy of conflicts in politics and that the government does not have the power to send someone to jail.

Talking to the media here on Friday, the minister said that the PTI government has only acted upon the decisions of courts. “Not even a single case was initiated against the leadership of PPP and PML-N during the PTI government. Rule of law prevails in the country and everyone is equal before it,” he added.

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He commented that Prime Minister Imran Khan will appear before the National Accountability Bureau whenever summoned.

He further said some elements were creating hurdles in the creation of south Punjab province by spreading baseless propaganda. In the past, funds for south Punjab were distributed among other provinces, but not anymore.

He further said that a civil secretariat for south Punjab will be made functional during the ongoing fiscal year, while a separate public service commission was also being established.

The foreign minister said that after coming into power the government’s priority was to improve ties with countries that had strained during the tenure of the previous government. “We improved our relations with Saudi Arabia, and because of the improved foreign policies of the PTI government Riyadh gave Islamabad a financial package of $12 billion. The UAE and China also announced financial aid of $3bn and $2bn, respectively. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is also coming to Pakistan on March 23 along with a delegation of investors,” he claimed.

He further said premier Khan is going to Qatar on Jan 22, adding that Doha had announced employment for 100,000 Pakistanis. The Foreign Ministry was actively promoting foreign investment in the country through economic diplomacy, he added.

He further said that he had asked all Central Asian nations to play their role for the restoration of peace in Afghanistan, however, some forces were against it. It was because of Prime Minister Imran Khan that the US had changed its attitude towards Pakistan and agreed for a dialogue, Mr Qureshi claimed.

Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2019