ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday dismissed the “reservations” expressed by the United States over the safety of political prisoners, including former Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying the country’s judiciary is capable of taking decisions in light of local laws and the Constitution, and it does not need any directions from anyone with regards to its domestic laws.
Responding to media queries during her weekly news briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that her counterpart from the US State Department recently made a general statement about the situation of prisoners “wherever they are”.
“I would like to underline that Pakistan has a judicial system that is capable of taking decisions in light of our law and Constitution, and due process and justice are key elements of our law. So, we do not need directions from anyone with regards to Pakistan’s domestic laws,” she said.
In a briefing on Tuesday, the US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller acknowledged a recent meeting of US Ambassador Donald Blome with leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), including opposition leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan.
“Obviously, we want to see safety and security of every prisoner in Pakistan or anywhere else in the world…It’s something that every person, every detainee, every prisoner is entitled to basic human rights and protection under the law,” Miller said while referring the US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s reported warning to Pakistan regarding the safety of imprisoned former premier Imran Khan.
Baloch also rejected the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)’s report as faulty and non-reflective of ground realities in Pakistan, saying that the USCIRF has once again presented a report sitting in judgement on the situation of religious freedoms in other countries.
“The report is based on faulty assumptions and is based on unsubstantiated allegations and non-reflective of the ground realities in Pakistan. We believe USCIRF’s annual exercise of designating countries is unwarranted and futile,” she said.
She added that the futility of USCIRF’s recommendations can be gauged by the fact that since 2020 the US State Department has ignored its recommendation to declare India a “Country of Particular Concern”.
“This exercise would have more credibility if it were free of double standards and geo-political considerations and if it paid increased attention to the glaring rise of Islamophobia. Such arbitrary designations also undermine the objective of fostering understanding and cooperation, which can only be achieved through dialogue and constructive engagement,” she added.
About the counterterrorism talks between Pakistan and the US, she said that the dialogue is ongoing and the two sides will discuss issues related to security and countering violent extremism and combating terrorism financing.
The Pakistan delegation is led by Additional Foreign Secretary (United Nations) Ambassador Syed Haider Shah.
To a question about the ongoing engagement with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, she said that Pakistan is focusing on enhanced engagement with countries especially in the Middle East to invite investment. In that context, she added that talks are also underway with Saudi Arabia, other GCC countries and beyond.
About Energy Minister’s visit to Saudi Arabia, she said that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are engaged in a robust dialogue on cooperation in diverse domains, including in the energy sector.
She added that the two sides are also engaged in discussions for increased Saudi investments in Pakistan.
About the expected visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, she expressed her inability to confirm the dates of the high-profile visit.
She said that Pakistan has been in contact with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the other GCC countries and exploring together avenues of investment and bilateral engagement.
To another query, she said that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are close friends and partners and hoped that the relationship with the Kingdom or any other country, should not become a target of political bickering inside Pakistan.
When her comments were sought on the ongoing momentum in engagements with Saudi Arabia and the US at a time when Pakistan is expressing its commitment to the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline projects, she expressed the impression of any sort of pressure on Pakistan.
She said Pakistan has always said that it would like to have good relations with all countries and it has maintained robust dialogue and engagement with countries in GCC.
Similarly, she added that Iran is Pakistan’s neighbour and the visit of the President of Iran was also long time coming.
“All these visits have been on the cards for a while and a lot of work goes into preparation before a high-level dignitary visits Pakistan. So, I do not understand why all these visits are being linked with each other. Pakistan’s relations with all these countries are robust and they stand on their own merit,” she added.
About Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal and SAPM Tariq Fatemi’s ongoing visit to China, she said that the visit is in the context of the collaboration that Pakistan and China have under CPEC and the two sides are engaged in discussions preparatory to the JCC which will be held in the coming days.
Commenting on the Afghan Defence Ministry’s spokesperson’s recent statement alleging Pakistan for harbouring ISIS sanctuaries, Baloch rejected the allegation as “unwarranted”, adding that instead of such irresponsible statements, the Afghan authorities should take effective action against all terror groups, based in Afghanistan.
She said that Pakistan is concerned about the terror threat it faces from individuals and entities present inside Afghanistan. “We have also found evidence that the attack on Chinese engineers in Besham, has links with the terrorists currently residing inside Afghanistan and planning of this attack took place in Afghanistan,” she said.
She also called upon the Afghan authorities to take meaningful and effective action against the terrorist groups, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP).
She said that comprehensive information and intelligence data received from law enforcement authorities have been shared with the Afghan authorities through the existing channels of communication.
“We expect Afghan authorities to take effective measures against these terrorist entities. With such effective measures, they should be able to demonstrate that these terror groups do not have sanctuaries and hideouts inside Afghanistan,” she said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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