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‘Not the time for political point-scoring’

MULTAN: The country is currently passing through a difficult time and cannot afford political point-scoring at such a critical juncture, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Tuesday.

Talking to reporters upon his arrival at the airport, he said the kind of national solidarity needed today had never been felt before. “I want to request Pakistan’s national political leadership, intellectuals, youths, students, farmers and workers to show a sense of responsibility, forbearance and solidarity at this point,” he said. He said there should be a limit to political point-scoring and it should not be taken to the extent that it hurts national interest.

He said that after hearing apprehensions about the Kerry-Lugar bill, he went to the US to speak with US leaders for Pakistan. He said US Vice-President Joseph Biden had said the US wanted bilateral relations with Pakistan regardless of Afghanistan and fears that the bill was against the sovereignty of Pakistan were contrary to the spirit of the aid bill. He said a joint explanatory statement had been prepared and signed by chairmen of the Foreign Relations Committees of the House of Representatives and Senate and was attached to the bill to address the concerns. He said conditions had been imposed not on Pakistan but on the executive branch by the US Congress. He said he had given a detailed statement in parliament on the issue and it was now up to the house and the government to make a decision. app

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