Pakistan foreign minister extends support as India grapples Covid surge

PAKISTAN foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday (24) expressed support to the people of India in the wake of a massive surge in Covid-19 cases in the country.

Qureshi said the Covid-19 crisis is yet another reminder that humanitarian issues require responses beyond political consideration.

"We express our support to the people of India in the wake of the current wave of Covid-19 infections that has hit our region hard. On behalf of the people of Pakistan, I extend our heartfelt sympathies to the affected families in India," Qureshi tweeted.

Pakistan continues to work with the SAARC countries to foster cooperation to tackle the pandemic, he said.

A record single-day rise of 3,46,786 coronavirus cases pushed India's tally of infection to 1,66,10,481, while active cases crossed the 25-lakh mark, according to the union health ministry data on Saturday (24). The death toll rose to 1,89,544 with a record 2,624 more fatalities in a day.

Pakistan has reported 157 coronavirus deaths in the last 24 hours, the highest since last year, while the new number of cases recorded were 5,908, the health ministry said on Saturday.

Qureshi's tweets came amid some signs of rapprochement in the relations between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir issue.

India's decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 angered Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties with New Delhi and expelled the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad. Pakistan also snapped all air and land links with India and suspended trade and railway services.

The militaries of the two countries, in a surprise announcement on February 25, said that they have agreed to strictly observe all agreements on ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and other sectors.