US recognizes Kashmir as a disputed area, says Qureshi

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said the US recognises Kashmir a disputed territory which needs to be resolved.
In a statement on Friday, the foreign minister expressed satisfaction that the spokesperson of the Biden administration has clarified that there has been no change in their policy on the Kashmir dispute.
As regards the problems faced by Pakistani workers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the foreign minister said that talks are continuing with the friendly country and expressed the confidence for a better outcome.
The foreign minister, however, reminded that the COVID-19 has affected the economies around the world including the Gulf region. Resultantly, there has been cut on jobs and the expatriate workers had to go back to their home countries.
The foreign minister termed the naval exercise Aman-21 a big success of Pakistan. He said navies of different countries are participating in the exercise.
A day earlier, Pakistan expressed displeasure over the US State Department’s tweet for not referring Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) as a ‘disputed region’.
“We are disappointed to note the reference to Jammu and Kashmir in the US Department of State’s tweet regarding the resumption of 4G mobile internet in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK),” Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said in a statement issued on Thursday.
The reference is inconsistent with the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir as recognised by numerous United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions and the international community, he added. -TLTP