Pakistan govt supports Imran’s Russia visit

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has defended former prime minister Imran Khan’s visit to Russia, saying “it is very unfair to punish Pakistan for such an innocent action”. “I absolutely would defend the former prime minister of Pakistan... Pakistan prime minister conducted that [Russia] trip as part of his foreign policy," FM Bilawal said while responding to a question during a press briefing in New York on Thursday. “We are not part of the conflict. We do not wish to be a part of the conflict,” he said, adding that Islamabad will continue to emphasise the importance of peace, dialogue and diplomacy to resolve this Russia-Ukraine conflict “as soon as possible”. “We will certainly not take the side of any aggressor...”

According to the Express Tribune report, former PM Imran has claimed that the US punished him for pursuing an “independent foreign policy”, particularly in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The US wanted Pakistan to take a clear stance against Russia and even advised Islamabad not to go ahead with the prime minister’s visit to Moscow. Earlier, FM Bilawal while addressing an open debate of the UNSC in connection with ‘Conflict and Food Security’ said that New Delhi’s illegal actions in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) is an insult to the United Nations and its resolutions related to the dispute. He said the Kashmir dispute has become a symbol of dysfunction of the UN, saying that it has failed to stop the Indian government from abrogating the semi-autonomous status of the disputed region.