Pakistan Foreign Minister delays Japan tour over sensitive regional situation

Qureshi told Taro Kono that he wrote to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to help stabilise the security situation.

File photo

Islamabad: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has postponed his trip to Japan due to the "sensitive situation in the region" following the February 14 attack in Jammu and Kashmir`s Pulwama that killed 40 CRPF troopers, his office announced on Monday.

According to a Foreign Office statement, Qureshi in a telephone call with his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono on Saturday explained that it was "imperative" that he remains in Pakistan due to the "extremely grave" situation which emerged in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack, reports Dawn news.

The Pulwama attack has been claimed by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad terror outfit. The Minister told Kono that he wrote to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to help stabilise the security situation.

He also requested his Japanese counterpart to brief Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about the situation due to which the tour had to be postponed, the statement said. Meanwhile, both foreign ministers have agreed to set a new date for Qureshi`s tour, it added.