ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office, on Friday, highlighted Pakistan’s policy shift from geo-politics to geo-economics, saying, the primary focus of the country’s national security would be on economic security.
Speaking at his weekly media briefing, the Foreign Office spokesperson, Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, said that Pakistan’s shift from geo-strategic or geo-politics to geo-economics “which means that the concept of national security has been revisited – with primary focus on the economy.”
“While fully resolved to protect Pakistan’s national security interests, our emphasis is shifting from geo-politics to geo-economics. The concept of national security is also undergoing a review to with economic security being central,” he added. Responding to a question about the possible rapprochement with India, he said Pakistan had never shied away from talks with India “but an enabling environment needs to be created for the talks which would cover all the outstanding issues, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir.” He said “it is India which vitiated the environment through its illegal and unilateral actions of 5th August 2019 in the Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).”
He also reiterated Pakistan’s position on the Kashmir dispute, saying there was no change in Pakistan’s position regarding Jammu and Kashmir dispute and with regards to talks with India.
He said that resolution of Kashmir dispute was a key to move forward and its resolution under the UN Security Council resolutions was imperative for durable peace and stability in the region.
In his recent letter to Prime Minister Modi, the spokesperson pointed out that Prime Minister Khan again reiterated that “durable peace and stability in South Asia is contingent upon resolving all outstanding issues, between India and Pakistan, in particular the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.”
However, as clearly outlined by the prime minister “creation of an enabling environment is imperative for a constructive and result-oriented dialogue,” he asserted. Commenting on the US State Department’s annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Chaudhri welcomed the report with regard to concerns over the human rights situation in the Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
He also urged the international community to closely monitor the situation in the IIOJK and also to ask India to respect its international obligations. Commenting on the reported role of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of “mediation” between Pakistan and India, the spokesperson said Pakistan had always welcomed third-party role and the international community’s role including that of the United Nations. However, he stressed that any third party effort should be aimed at resolution of outstanding disputes between Pakistan and India, including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Whoever would make effort or any third party’s role should be focus on resolution of the outstanding disputes,” he said.
“We believe that the international community has an important role to play in averting risks to peace and stability in the region and facilitating a just and lasting solution to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions,” he asserted. To another query about the status of Saudi investment in Pakistan, he said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoyed close cooperative and brotherly relations.
“There is a growing momentum in these relations between the two countries in all areas of cooperation including trade and investment,” he stated without giving further details of the investment in specific fields. About Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s forthcoming visit, he said the Russian foreign minister was scheduled to visit Pakistan from 6-7 April 2021.
He said the broad agenda of discussions would include bilateral ties with particular focus on economic cooperation between the two countries. He said the two sides would also share their respective perspectives on regional and international issues of mutual interest during his meetings with the Pakistani leadership.
Commenting on Indian government’s latest move to hoist Indian flag [Taranga] on all government buildings and establishments in the IIOJK, he said Pakistan believed that the step was in continuation of India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019 to perpetuate its illegal occupation of the territory.
“These illegal and unilateral actions by the Indian Government have been rejected by the Kashmiris and by Pakistan,” he said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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