ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office said on Thursday that Pakistan will not attend the “Ukraine peace summit” due to “a host of factors, including scheduling challenges”, being hosted by Switzerland on June 15-16 on the peace proposals of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Speaking at her weekly news briefing in response to journalists’ queries, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Pakistan stands for universal and consistent application of UN Charter principles, including non-use or threat of use of force, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, pacific settlement of disputes, and equal security for all states.
“We reiterate our call for immediate cessation of hostilities and stress the need for diplomacy and dialogue for an early negotiated end to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Pakistan received an invitation from Switzerland for the conference, which is being held from 15th to 16th of June.
However, due to a host of factors, including scheduling challenges, Pakistan is not participating in this conference,” she said.
A close ally of China, Pakistan has maintained a neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Both China and Russia are also not attending the summit which, according to reports, will bring nearly 90 countries and organisations to deliberate on a possible path to peace.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has accused China of discouraging other countries from attending the peace summit. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, however, denied the charges on Monday, saying that “hegemonism and power politics are not China’s diplomatic style.”
Responding to another question as to whether Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will be sending letters of felicitation to their Indian counterparts, she there would be no exchange of letters. “As far as I understand, there has been no exchange of letters,” she added.
She further stated that it was customary for heads of state and government to congratulate their counterparts on the assumption of their respective office and the congratulatory tweet of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on June 10 was in that context.
“You may have also seen the response from the Prime Minister of India. I would not like to give any more explanation with regards to these messages which I said are customary in nature,” Baloch said.
She further stated that Pakistan had no commentary to offer with regards to the elections or the domestic matters inside India.
To another question, Baloch declined to comment on Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s statement that Pakistan and China, had agreed to a “Joint Surveillance Mechanism”, for the safety and security of the Chinese nationals.
She said the understandings reached between Pakistan and China, with regards to various issues of mutual concern including the security and safety of Chinese nationals, have been adequately reflected in the joint statement. “I do not have any additional commentary to offer and to comment on any statement made by any official or public leader,” she added.
In response to another query about the new passport policy with regard to asylum seekers abroad, she declined to comment, saying that decisions of the government of Pakistan with regard to the issuance of passports and immigration matters pertain to the Ministry of Interior.
However, she added that decisions regarding the issuance of passports to Pakistani nationals or individuals who have decided to renounce their nationality and seek asylum abroad are important decisions. She added that on this issue, the government of Pakistan will take decisions according to its own laws.
About the US State Department’s request to remove the name of Khadijah Shah, a US national who was involved in 9 May riots, from ECL, Baloch said that Khadijah Shah’s case was under trial and it was being dealt with according to Pakistani laws. “Pakistani courts will make decisions regarding the case pertaining to Ms Khadijah Shah,” she added.
To another query about the measures to facilitate trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan, she said the two sides had been engaged with each other to discuss all aspects of the Temporary Admission Document (TAD) system.
She said Pakistan and Afghanistan had agreed to introduce and implement those arrangements to facilitate trade vehicles, drivers and helpers from both sides.
Under this arrangement, she added that designated officers are in contact to ensure smooth implementation of the mechanism and to promote cross-border trade. “This process will continue and any issues of mutual concern that arise will be discussed through these designated officials,” she added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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