Visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi addressed a large gathering of Pakistani community at the Pakistan Embassy complex here, Saturday evening. Overseas Pakistanis, Qureshi said, played an important role in the restoration of democracy and economic development of the country. He said that their remittances were providing tremendous support to the country's economy. He said that democratic institutions in Pakistan have grown strong, and reached maturity. He said the present government has in its credit of having independent judiciary, free media, announcement of NFC award and decentralization of power. He said that the government was aware of the challenges confronting the country and is taking appropriate measures to overcome them. The foreign minister who arrived in the Kingdom on Friday held wide-ranging talks with Prince Saud Al-Faisal, his Saudi counterpart on Saturday and expressed his concerns about India's growing engagement in Afghanistan. Qureshi was briefed by the Saudi side about Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Riyadh earlier this month. Qureshi spoke very candidly on a range of subjects including constitutional reforms in Pakistan, the OIC, Saudi-Pakistani relations, and Pakistani-US ties with special reference to the US military and economic aid. Responding to a question, Qureshi revealed that Pakistan would be “receiving about $2.1 billion funds from the US before June” this year. Asked about reports of India's intentions to seek a Saudi role in resolving differences with Pakistan, he said he thought India may not have pursued this as it always discourages third-party involvement. He, however, said that he has no reservations if New Delhi wants to involve the Kingdom to bolster the prospect of peace.
