Gaza massacre: Aziz to attend OIC executive council meeting at Jeddah on August 12: FO

The foreign office on Thursday said that Pakistan was making all-out efforts to stop Israeli aggression in Palestine but at present, there was no proposal under consideration for convening the conference of Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC). It also confirmed that Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz would participate in OIC executive council meeting to be held in Jeddah on August 12, especially convened over Gaza massacre.
Speaking at a weekly press briefing, foreign office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said the leaders of the OIC member countries had not yet hinted at calling a conference of the organisation, adding Pakistan was making concerted efforts to resolve the Palestine issue and to ensure peace in the region.
Tasnim said that Pakistan had sent a financial assistance amounting to US $10,00,000 for Palestinian victims. She said that Pakistan had condemned the Israeli aggression and raised the issue at every forum. "We're doing our level best to restore peace in Palestine along with other OIC member countries. The Parliament of Pakistan passed a condemnatory resolution against Israeli aggression and Jeddah moot is also part of these efforts," she added.
Responding to questions about recent statements by Afghanistan's National Security Council and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the spokesperson said it was deeply dismaying that the spate of Afghan allegations, maligning Pakistan's national security institutions, continued unabated.
"Pakistan reiterates its categorical rejection of Afghan allegations of involvement in terrorist attacks, insurgent activities or cross-border shelling. We also firmly reject any statements casting aspersions on Pakistan's commitment to fight terrorism," she maintained. She further started Pakistan had repeatedly emphasised that terrorism is a common enemy afflicting the whole region and concerted efforts must be made by all sides for combating it effectively.
"Levelling baseless allegations will serve no useful purpose...it will only benefit the enemies of peace and undermine the prospects of a cordial relationship between the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan," Tasnim said. The spokesperson said that the launch of operation Zarb-e-Azb was the clearest reflection of Pakistan's resolve to fight terrorism, adding the operation was dictated by Pakistan's own national interest, and backed by national consensus.
To ensure optimal results, she said it was imperative that necessary steps be taken by the Afghan authorities on their side of the border in blocking the fleeing terrorists and eliminating terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan territory. It was equally essential that effective measures were instituted to strengthen border controls and surveillance, she added.
Tasnim maintained that Pakistan remained committed to building friendly and good-neighbourly relations with Afghanistan, based on the principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. "We hope that the Afghan side would reciprocate our policy of restraint and responsibility and our continued efforts for constructive engagement. It is essential to maintain a conducive environment for the continued development of co-operative and mutually-beneficial ties between the two countries," she added.
Tasnim said the foreign affairs ministry had set up a crisis management cell on the directives of the prime minister to facilitate the evacuation of stranded Pakistanis in Libya. The cell would monitor the security situation in Libya and make efforts to evacuate Pakistani, she added.