China dismissed Indian claims over Valley: Pak minister

ISLAMABAD:PAKISTAN foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told a press conference in Islamabad on Monday that during his recent visit to China, the issue of Kashmir also came up, where Beijing dismissed Indian claims over the Valley. Qureshi said that China had rejected India’s August 5 move and termed it ‘unilateral’.

Qureshi also explained that the purpose of his recent visit was to “understand [China’s] current state of mind and gauge their stance on India”. “I can tell you that I didn’t see any hesitation, their (China’s) stance is very clear,” he said.

“China has made clear that it views India’s measures of August 5, 2019 [in Kashmir] illegal,” said Qureshi. China does not stand in agreement with India’s position on Ladakh and Kashmir, he added.

According to Qureshi, the stand-off between India and China remains unresolved despite five rounds of negotiations between the two. He categorically rejected India’s objections to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor as well.

The Pakistan foreign minister said that Prime Minister Imran Khan raised Kashmir issue before the United Nations, adding that “India is running away from the matter and lying to the global community”. Qureshi said that New Delhi’s August 5 move had made matters worse for the people of the occupied territory. He said that anger and frustration are on the rise in the region due to restrictions and a communications blackout.