The Foreign Office on Friday reacted sharply to US Vice President Mike Pence's statement that President Trump has "put Pakistan on notice" allegedly for "harboring terrorists and providing safe havens to them," saying allies do not put each other on notice.
Commenting on Vice President Pence's statement regarding Pakistan at Bagram Airfield, Foreign Ministry's Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal said that "the statement is at variance with the extensive conversations we have had with the US administration."
"Allies do not put each other on notice. On notice should be those factors responsible for exponential increase in drug production, expansion of ungoverned spaces, industrial scale corruption, breakdown of governance, and letting Daesh gain a foothold in Afghanistan," he said.
"Also focus should be on creating peace and reconciliation mechanisms. Finally, externalizing blame should be put on notice," the spokesperson asserted. Briefing Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs on Friday, Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua expressed Pakistan's concerns over the statements by US Vice President and Pentagon officials.
She said that Pakistan through effective and indiscriminate actions against all terrorist groups has eliminated their hideouts on its soil. She said that Pakistan out-rightly rejected US VP Pence's "rhetorical" statements, adding that operation Khyber-2 had already cleansed the areas along Pak-Afghan border of terrorists. However, she added that Pakistan can conduct intelligence-based operations if actionable intelligence is provided to the country.
She also told the panel that Pakistan was in touch with the US on the Trump administration's recent report to the Congress that the US will take "unilateral steps in areas of divergence" with Pakistan. "How can unilateral action be taken on a single source of information?...How the US would be able to address Pakistan's regional security concerns?" Janjua posed questions while asserting that the US should also take Pakistan's security concerns into account and treat Islamabad and New Delhi alike.
She stated that the terrorists wanted in Pakistan are taking refuge in the ungoverned areas of Afghanistan, adding that the Afghan refugees' situation is also creating major problems for Pakistan.
On the US National Security Strategy released on December 18, she said that Pakistan has already given its reaction to the unfounded accusations in Trump administration's new security policy as they belie facts on ground and trivialize Pakistan's efforts towards fighting terrorism and our unmatched sacrifices to promote peace and stability in the region.
She said that Pakistan has no terrorist sanctuaries, adding the presence of various terrorist groups including Daesh in Afghanistan has been detrimental to Pakistan's safety and security. Additionally, she said that India is also using Afghan soil to destabilize Pakistan.
On the recent visit of US Defence Secretary James Mattis, she said that during the talks bilateral relations, security situation, Afghan conflict and the war against terrorism and other issues came under discussion. She said that Pakistan also raised the issue of Afghan soil being used against Pakistan with the Defence Secretary who told the Pakistan's side that he would address its concerns.
The foreign secretary said that Pakistan has been successful to strongly present and defend its narrative in war against terrorism at a number of multilateral forums. She said that there is an understanding on both sides about addressing concerns and taking the relationship progressively.
Janjua further told the panel that Pakistan is facing terrorism sponsored by hostile countries including India, adding that out of nine terror attacks during Muharram this year, the terrorists involved in eight incidents had come from Afghanistan. She said that Pakistan is also concerned over the nexus between Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies.
Senator Farhatullah Babar stated that the reminder by the US that Hafiz Saeed was a terrorist who carried head money of $10 million was preceded by the new Trump policy containing, for the first time, the element of "unilateral action" against militants and expressed concern over this juxtaposition.
He pointed out that al-Qaeda chief Osma bin Ladin carried a head money of $25 million and was taken out by a unilateral action by US Seals without prior warning whereas now a specific declaration had been made. He pointed out that General Musharraf (retd) had banned Lashkar-e-Tayyaba but was now publicly defending Hafiz Saeed. "Such statements directly played into the hands of those who accuse Pakistan of harboring militants," he added.
He also drew attention towards the strongly worded condemnation by the Foreign Office of the Houthis' missile strike against Saudi Arabia, saying that it could lead to Pakistan being sucked into the conflict. He said that missile strikes have to be condemned but a balance must also be struck by taking note of the missile launches in Yemen that also resulted in civilian casualties.
However, the Foreign Office officials said that the statement on the missile fired by Houthis on Saudi Arabia was a well thought out reaction of Pakistan. The committee chaired by Senator Nuzhat Sadiq, also lauded the Foreign Office for Pakistan's strong and principled-based stand at the UN on the issue of Palestine.
On the irregularities and legal discrepancies in the bidding process for visa facilitation services by the High Commission for Pakistan in London, the Special Secretary Foreign Affairs told the committee that contracts haven not yet been awarded and sought some time to respond to the queries as the process has not completed so far.
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