The Foreign Office told a parliamentary panel on Wednesday that Pakistan recognises Bashar al-Assad-led Syrian government as legitimate and it is against any regime change in the country on foreign influence. The principled stance of Pakistan recognising Assad as the legitimate President of Syria in the wake of around four year civil war in the country came during an in-camera briefing given to Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs which was attended by Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry and other senior officials of the Foreign Office.
Sartaj Aziz talked briefly to reporters after the meeting, saying the committee was given a briefing on various meetings held on the sidelines of the fifth ministerial Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process and the 14th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Head of Government Council meeting held in China from December 14-15, 2015. However, participants of the meeting - the committee members - told Business Recorder that the senators expressed concerns on Pakistan's joining the Saudi led 34-nation military coalition and demanded that the details under which Pakistan is going to join the alliance should also be shared with the Parliament.
Committee member Colonel Tahir Hussain Mashhadi (Retd) questioned about the message that the government's decision to join alliance will convey to the countries that are not part of the alliance like Iran, Iraq and Syria. The sources said that the senior Foreign Office official said that Pakistan has already very good cooperation with Iran on counter-terrorism and that the coalition is only aimed at countering the emerging threat from Daesh. The committee was told in categorical terms that Pakistan will not become part of the ongoing civil wars in some Middle Eastern countries and that the coalition was not against any country. On Syria, the sources said, that it was informed Pakistan recognises Assad's government as legitimate government and it is against any regime change in the country on foreign influence. It was also reiterated that Pakistan respects sovereignty of Syria and it wants a peaceful solution to Syrian conflict by the Syrian people. The sources further said that the committee was also informed that the three dossiers shared with international community including the United Nations on Indian-sponsored terrorism in Pakistan also carried some solid evidence. The three dossiers contained evidence of Indian involvement in Balochistan, FATA and Karachi.
They said that the evidence against Indian RAW and Afghan NDS would also be shared with the international community regarding their involvement in terrorist activities in the country. The committee was told that in the dossier related to Balochistan, it has been claimed with evidence that Indian passports have been issued to certain Baloch separatists and the places they have travelled on the Indian passports and the funding that have been given to some groups.
Committee member belonging to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Shibli Faraz pointed out that Pakistan's key concern is restoration of peace in Afghanistan as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani does not have complete authority on many crucial issues. On his insistence, the committee was informed that efforts were under way to bring Afghan government and the Taliban to the negotiation table. It was also stated that the United States considers itself as facilitator and China as participant in the peace talks between Afghan government and the Taliban. Mashhadi also appreciated the Foreign Office, saying that despite ongoing civil war in Syria and Iraq, Pakistan embassies in both the countries were functioning well and reaching out to Pakistani communities.
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