Pakistan government has justified its act of issuing special postal stamps to glorify slain Kashmiri terrorist Burhan Wani. The newly-issued stamps term Wani as a ‘martyr’ and freedom fighter. Reacting to the incident, India called off the meeting between external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi scheduled to be held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). “The latest brutal killings of our security personnel by Pakistan-based entities and the recent release of a series of 20 postage stamps by Pakistan glorifying a terrorist and terrorism confirm that Pakistan will not mend its ways,” MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said.
Now, Qureshi has commented on the issue and sought to downplay India’s concerns. “Hundreds of thousands of people are fighting in Kashmir, not all of them are terrorists,” Qureshi was quoted as saying by a Pakistani newspaper.
Pakistan’s postal department had begun issuing special postage stamps on July 24 with a plan to issue 20 such stamps.
Qureshi further said that India’s reluctance to hold talks with Pakistan will not stop Islamabad from closing doors on its efforts to promote peace in the region. “India is reluctant, we will not close our doors,” Qureshi said addressing a news conference at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington on Sunday.