Dialogue with India difficult after 2019, claims Bilawal Bhutto

Islamabad: Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that a constructive dialogue with India has become difficult after 2019, according to a media report on Saturday.

Bilawal, who attended the SCO’s (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting in Tashkent, said India and Pakistan are part of the SCO and the two countries are currently engaged in the context of the broad-based activities of the organisation.

“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 was quoted as saying by Geo News on Saturday.

After 2019, constructive dialogue with India became difficult, Bilawal said, apparently referring to India announcing the withdrawal of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcation of the state into two union territories in that year.

India has repeatedly told Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Islamabad in an environment free of terror, hostility, and violence. India has said the onus is on Pakistan to create an environment free of terror and hostility.

India’s decision evoked a strong reaction from Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties and expelled the Indian envoy. Pakistan also halted bilateral trade with India.

The meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was also attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal also said that there were no plans for any meetings between Pakistani and Indian prime ministers on the sidelines of the annual SCO summit to be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on 15-16 September, the report said.

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