The Foreign Office rejected on Thursday the statement made by the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) regarding the 26th constitutional amendment, saying it was based on inaccurate information, Radio Pakistan reported.
The Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told a weekly news briefing in Islamabad today that the Human Rights High Commissioner has drawn unwarranted and misplaced conclusions from media reports, social media posts, and speculative analysis that is political in nature.
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The spokesperson advised the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to focus on the actual and grave situation of human rights violations where either international human rights have been rendered ineffective or draconian laws have been enacted to oppress the illegally occupied peoples.
When asked about the blacklisting of about two dozen companies by the US, the spokesperson said Pakistan considers the latest action as biased and politically motivated.
Similar listings of commercial entities in the past were based on mere suspicion, she said.
The spokesperson said it involved items not listed under the export control regime and yet were considered sensitive under broad catch-all provisions.
She said it is widely known that some countries while claiming strict adherence to non-proliferation norms have conveniently waived licensing requirements for advanced military technologies to their favorite nations.
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She said such double standards and discriminatory practices undermine the credibility of global nonproliferation regimes, increase military asymmetries, and endanger international peace and security.
As confirmed by the spokesperson, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has written to US President Joe Biden requesting consideration of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s mercy petition on humanitarian grounds.
She said Pakistan has remained in contact with the US to extend all possible support for Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s welfare.
Responding to a question, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Pakistan has never accepted the validity of the Indian constitution in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
She said the people of Jammu and Kashmir shall decide their future based on the UN Security Council resolutions.
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