ISLAMABAD - Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Wednesday came down hard on Pakistan People’s Party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari by targeting him in the National Assembly.

“I know Bilawal since he was a child. He has to learn a lot and stop taking dictations. I also know Bilawal’s father,” he asserted. He alleged the PPP-led Sindh government was violating the democratic norms in the province. On Financial Action Task Force, he said India was trying to misuse the platform for political gains.

The FM said Pakistan was put into FATF grey list because of the money-laundering done by the “corrupt elements during the tenure of previous governments.” While speaking to journalists here, that Pakistan wanted good ties with India and stability in the region. .

The FM said that the illegal acts of India had resulted in rise of unemployment in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.  He stressed that Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir was loud and clear that the dispute must be resolved in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.

He pointed out that the All-party Convention called by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi exposed the wide gulf between the minds and hearts of the government and the Kashmiris. Qureshi termed the convention a failed attempt to fan nationalism in a bid to gain votes for the upcoming election.

FM Qureshi said only the people of Afghanistan could resolve the conflict of their country. “Pakistan would continue to play a conciliatory role,” he added.  He added, “We can only facilitate the peace process and reconciliation among the Afghan stakeholders.”

The foreign minister said other countries, may it the United States, China or Russia could only extend support to the peace process.  However, the solution to the problem rested with the Afghans themselves. He referred to the statement of US President Joe Biden who had also emphasized that only Afghans could better resolve the problem faced by their nation. In challenging times, he said, Pakistan would take every step for its own security.

Earlier, the foreign minister confirmed that the government had invited the representatives from all parliamentary parties to attend a conference on national security on July 1, which will mainly focus on the situation in the region, particularly Afghanistan.