ISLAMABAD: Pakistan confirmed on Thursday that it has extended invitations to the heads of government of all members of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the forthcoming meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the SCO scheduled to be held on October 15-16, 2024 in Islamabad.
Speaking at her weekly media briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch confirmed to journalists that the formal invitations have been extended to all heads of the government of the SCO member states, including Indian Prime Minister Modi.
“I can confirm that invitations have been extended to all heads of government of the SCO member countries, including the Prime Minister of India for the forthcoming meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. This meeting is scheduled to take place in Islamabad on October 15-16,” she said.
Pakistan invites Modi to SCO moot
Asked about India’s response to the invitation, she said that some confirmations have been received, but she declined to share more details. “It will be informed in due course which country has confirmed,” she added.
Pakistan, currently holds the rotating chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of Government, which is SCO’s second-highest decision-making forum. The October Summit will be preceded by a ministerial meeting and several rounds of senior officials’ meetings, focusing on the financial, economic, socio-cultural and humanitarian cooperation among the SCO member states.
Previously, Pakistan’s then foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited India in May last year and attended the SCO meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers in Goa – the first Pakistani foreign minister to have visited India in 12 years.
To a question about Iran serving a final notice on Pakistan to move the Paris Arbitration Court in September 2024 for not construction the pipeline under Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, she said that Pakistan’s legal team is assessing the situation, adding that Pakistan and Iran have robust channels of communications on discussing all matters including the IP gas project. “We have always said we would like to resolve all issues through friendly consultations,” she added.
When her response was sought on the Afghan Defence Ministry’s statement, rejecting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s remarks that the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is using Afghan soil for terrorism in Pakistan, the spokesperson said that the use of Afghan soil for terror acts against Pakistan is well established.
She said that Pakistan has expressed concerns on this issue on several occasions, including bilateral communications with the Afghan authorities. She said that Pakistan has shared “concrete evidence” of individuals based in Afghanistan who have been involved in terrorism inside Pakistan.
“The presence of terror groups, including TTP in Afghanistan is confirmed by multiple independent reports, including the United Nations. We expect the Afghan authorities to take concrete and robust action against these terror groups and prevent their activities that endanger Pakistan’s security,” she added.
Responding to Afghan interim government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid’s offer of facilitating talks between government of Pakistan and the TTP, she rejected the offer in categorical terms, saying that Pakistan has no plans to engage in any talks with TTP.
“We believe that such offers are an affront to thousands of victims of TTP, who have been killed in Pakistan. Pakistan, therefore, advises the Afghan authorities to take action against TTP and other terror groups that continue to threaten Pakistan’s security and who have been involved in killing of Pakistani nationals in Pakistani territory,” she emphasised.
Responding to another query about the dangerous rising trend of terrorism in Balochistan, she said that these terror attacks in Balochistan are a source of concern for the entire nation of Pakistan. “We condemn these attacks and the government of Pakistan has reaffirmed its commitment to protect the country’s security and sovereignty,” she said.
Asked if any communication with any foreign government was made with regard to presence of these terrorists in their respective countries who are behind the recent terror incidents in Balochistan, she said that investigation into the attacks in the province is underway and that she was not aware of any such communication to have taken place with any foreign government.
“At this stage I do not have any update with regard to communication with any foreign government, as further details will be coming in from Ministry of Interior with regard to the outcome of the investigation and the steps the government of Pakistan will be taking against these terror outfits,” she added.
Responding to the concerns about Chinse loans in the power projects, she said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a “transformational” project that has contributed “positively and transparently” to Pakistan’s national development.
“It [CPEC] enjoys support and popularity in all provinces and across the political divide in Pakistan. We also believe that regional connectivity will provide a critical stimulus for creating broad based growth across the region. CPEC is a long term project that has helped address development gaps in energy, infrastructure, industrialisation and job creation,” she said.
She said that Pakistan’s total public debt relating to CPEC projects is a small percentage of its total debt. “The public debt obtained from China has longer maturity periods with low interest rates. The claims made by some commentators, regarding Pakistan’s debt obligations relating to CPEC, are therefore not based on facts,” she added.
To another query about Pakistan’s reported imports up to $1.62 billion from India despite suspension of trade ties for the last five years, she said that with some exceptions, Pakistan does not have bilateral trade relations with India. However, she said that further details can be obtained from the Ministry of Commerce.
When her response was sought on the social media campaign against British High Commissioner Jane Marriott following her alleged pro-Imran Khan comments, the spokesperson declined to comment on the social media “speculations,” saying that Pakistan has long term and cordial relations with the United Kingdom. “These relations are based in history and reinforced by regular high level interactions and strong people-to-people contacts,” she added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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