MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi says the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia do not perceive India as a replacement for Pakistan.

“I want to make it clear that the UAE and Saudi Arabia don’t consider India as an alternative to Pakistan,” he told the media after a visit to the shine of Shah Rukn-i-Alam here on Monday.

The minister who visited the UAE recently, said: “I conveyed the sentiments of Pakistani people while saying that Pakistan cannot establish diplomatic relations with Israel until the Palestinian issue is resolved.”

“The UAE understands our point of view and is well aware about the resemblance between the issues of Kashmir and Palestine,” he said, adding the UAE leadership would soon visit Pakistan.

Qureshi said he held detailed meetings with Dubai ruler Shaikh Muhammad Bin Rashid and UAE Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah in which various issues, including the issue of visa, were discussed.

“The UAE leadership thinks there is no alternative to Pakistan and suspension of visa to Pakistani citizens is temporary which will be allowed soon,” he said.

PDM: He said there was no unity in the ranks of the Pakistan Democratic Movement in connection with tendering resignations.

“The Pakistan People’s Party is against tendering resignations. Even the PML-N is divided over the issue. If the PDM is serious, it should submit resignations by Dec 31.”

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2020