ISLAMABAD: Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi Saturday held a telephonic conversation with British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Dominc Raab and exchanged views on the global outbreak of coronavirus and prospects of enhanced bilateral cooperation to jointly tackle the pandemic. Expressing condolences over the loss of lives in the United Kingdom due to coronavirus, the foreign minister conveyed his good wishes for early recovery of Prince Charles and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who have also been tested positive for the Covid-19 disease. 

Qureshi apprised his counterpart that the British nationals residing in Pakistan are being taken care of and assured of their return after as soon normalcy returns to the country. He lauded the steps being taken by UK authorities to combat the infectious virus and thanked British authorities for taking care of Pakistani community in the UK. He informed Foreign Secretary Raab about the latest situation of coronavirus outbreak in Pakistan and the steps taken by the government for its containment. While highlighting the situation in Indian-held Kashmir, the foreign minister said due to the Indian lockdown for the last eight months, the territory has been facing shortage of food and medical supplies to effectively contain the Covid-19 pandemic and around eight million Kashmiris are awaiting world support for their riddance from the Indian oppression.