MULTAN   -  Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi here on Saturday said that Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) did not want to see the country to develop.

“PTI government is concerned about rising cases of COVID-19 in the country while the PDM leadership does not care about people’s lives. How can politicians risking masses lives by holding gathering be their well wisher?” he questioned at a reception held in his honour by Market Committee Chairman Sheikh Tahir Qureshi. The foreign minister further said that no government could be toppled by holding public gatherings, adding the present government would complete its term. He asked the opposition to wait till the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government completed its term. “PTI would form the next government too,” Qureshi hoped, and added that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) should have known its popularity level by GB elections.

The voters rejected PPP and PML-N in the Gilgit Baltistan (GB) elections despite their public meetings, he claimed.

He said that political parties, which were part of the PDM, wanted to create chaos in the country since they were following Pakistan’s enemies’ agenda. On growing Islamophobia in the world, Qureshi stated that it was a matter of great concern for Muslim Ummah and urged that the Ummah would have to adopt a collective narrative to fight against it. “This is the only way to combat this trend,” the foreign minister explained. Regarding Kashmir issue, he informed that the recent OIC meeting kept resonating with the issue despite India’s efforts to subdue it.

“It is a great diplomatic achievement of Pakistan to highlight the Kashmir issue on CFM platform despite Indian efforts against it,” Qureshi remarked.

The PTI government was raising voice against brutalities in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) on world platforms and would continue to do so in future too, he vowed. The foreign minister termed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) a milestone in progress of the country, adding that future of the region was interconnected with the project.

“Pakistan will frustrate the conspiracies being hatched against CPEC and will complete all projects under it. We will safeguard it,” Qureshi expressed the resolve. He stated that he was son of soil and representative of Multan, adding that he would work to resolve the problems being faced by people with the funds allocated for the city.

The foreign minister informed that he would call on Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar for allocation of more funds to address the issues of sewage, clean drinking water, health and education in the city.