ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Monday called his Chinese and German counterparts as well as a key European Union official and briefed them on the evolving situation in India-held Kashmir after the Pulwama incident.

Mr Qureshi spoke over the phone to China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and EU Vice President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and discussed with them the regional situation as well as matters relating to mutual interest.

He thanked China for its steadfast support and informed his Chinese counterpart of Pakistan’s desire for peace and stability in the region and resolution of all issues through negotiations with India.

He also highlighted the steps taken by Pakistan to de-escalate the situation, a Foreign Office statement issued here said.

Mr Wang appreciated Pakistan’s efforts and agreed that the unfolding regional situation was serious with implications for peace and security of the entire region.

Also, Mr Qureshi briefed his German counterpart on the evolving situation after the Pulwama incident and stressed that despite baseless allegations and aggressive rhetoric emanating from India, Pakistan has offered cooperation in investigating the incident and asked India to share any actionable evidence in this regard.

He highlighted the human rights violations by the security forces in India-held Kashmir against Kashmiris in the aftermath of the Pulwama incident.

The German FM appreciated Pakistan’s overtures and stressed the need for preserving peace and stability in the region.

Speaking to Ms Moghe­rini, Mr Qureshi briefed the EU official on the current situation of peace and security in the region. The EU high represen­tative stres­s­ed the need for working towards normalising the situation between the two neighbours.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2019