Afghan refugees’ issues to be taken up in next APAPPS meeting: FO

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Wednesday said issues of Afghan refugees would come under discussion during the upcoming meeting of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) in October.

The next round of APAPPS meeting, to be held in Pakistan in second week of October, would discuss all-inclusive matters of five sub-groups, including related to Afghan refugees, Foreign Office Spokesman Muhammad Faisal said at the weekly press briefing.

In response to a question on resumption of Pakistan’s Consulate in Jalalabad, the Spokesman said, “We are working with them to resolve the issue and hope that the consular services at the Consulate General in Jalalabad will be resumed soon.”

Regarding talks on border-management and counter-terrorism, he said good discussion was held on the subject with Afghan side during the visit of Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to Kabul.

On Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Saudi Arabia, the Spokesman said both Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were brotherly countries and the prime minister chose it for his first foreign visit.

To a question on the Iranian nuclear deal (JCPOA), he said it represented a good example of negotiated settlement of a complex issue through dialogue and diplomacy.

He said unilateral withdrawal and arbitrary rescinding of the agreement, which was an outcome of a decade long effort of diplomats, would undermine the confidence of the international community in dialogue and diplomacy.

To a question about fate of non-career diplomats serving at Pakistan missions including ambassador to United States Ali Jahangir, he said the Foreign Minister had already stated that such decision would not be taken in haste, but only after due consideration.

Whether the issue of continuous ceasefire violation by India on Line of Control (LoC) and human rights violation in Indian Occupied Kashmir by the occupation forces was discussed during the visit of Chinese foreign minister, the Spokesman said Pakistan appraised China of the grave situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir and its serious consequences for the whole region.

About possibility of meeting between Foreign Minister Qureshi and his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj, he said no decision had been taken so far, however, “We are engaged in the matter”.