Foreign Office on Thursday denied any "deal" under consideration between Pakistan and the United States to swap Dr Shakeel Afridi, who traced down al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, with Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's former ambassador to the US. In his weekly media briefing, Spokesperson Foreign Office Dr Mohammad Faisal also rejected the media reports that Afridi was moved to Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, from Peshawar central jail recently due to alleged failed attempt by Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to break the jail and secure release of the convicted doctor who helped the Americans trace down the al-Qaeda chief before he was killed in his Abbottabad compound in an operation on May 2, 2011.
"Deal and the jailbreak, both are contradictory to each other. If there was any deal going on, why would there be an attempt of the jailbreak?" the spokesperson posed a question. However, later in the transcript of the briefing shared with the media, Dr Faisal was quoted as having said: "I am not aware of any deal regarding Dr Shakeel Afridi. The subject of the reported jailbreak is being dealt by the Ministry of Interior."
Yet to another question if he, on behalf of the government of Pakistan, could be able to give an assurance to the people of Pakistan that Afridi would not be handed over to the US, he said: "On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I can assure you that he is not being handed over to the US."
He also stated that the matter related to Afridi's possible handover to the US has never been raised during the recent talks between Pakistani and US authorities.
He further expressed his inability to confirm if there was any proposal to swap Dr Aafia Siqqiqui with Dr Shakeel Afridi, saying, "I have no knowledge regarding the matter."
On the proposed travel restrictions on Pakistani diplomats in the US, he said that discussions on the matter are ongoing between the two countries. "We hope to resolve the issue amicably," he added.
On the latest traffic accident on April 29 involving US Embassy's Second Secretary Rex Chad Ausburn, he said that a motorcyclist and the co-rider got injured on Constitution Avenue. He said that according to traffic police, the US Embassy vehicle had the right of way.
He said that the police after detaining the US diplomat and his vehicle at the police station Secretariat for a few hours and completion of formalities, including verification of the diplomatic status from Foreign Office, allowed the US diplomat to leave.
When he was asked about Pakistan's position on the Iranian nuclear deal with world powers, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), he said that Pakistan believes that JCPOA represents a very good example of negotiated settlement of complex issues.
"We fully support the agreement and call upon all parties to continue to honor their commitments, pursuant to the agreement. All countries should trust the competence of the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] to provide assurances regarding the implementation of the agreement," he added.
In response to a statement issued by the recently concluded Nato foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels urging Pakistan to close alleged terror sanctuaries, he said that Pakistan has taken effective counterterrorism operations in recent years against terrorists of all hue and color without any discrimination.
"There is no organized terrorist presence on Pakistani soil," he said. However, Pakistan's porous border with Afghanistan provides opportunities for movement of terrorists from either side, he added. "We are, therefore, strengthening border management on our side and hope that Afghanistan and the Nato forces will strengthen border management on the Afghan side," he added.
He further said that presence of Afghan refugees in large number in Pakistan provides an opportunity for the terrorists to morph and melt. "In fact, Afghan security officials have themselves acknowledged that Afghan Taliban use refugee population for recruitment. We have, therefore, been emphasizing the need for time-bound return of Afghan refugees from Pakistan to Afghanistan," he said.
Dr Faisal made it clear that bringing Taliban to the negotiating table is the shared responsibility of the international community, and all those countries having contacts with Taliban should play their role in persuading them to come to the table.
On the joint military exercises to be held in Russia in September this year under Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), he said that the SCO provides a useful forum for enhancing mutually beneficial cooperation among its member states. "We are committed to playing a positive and constructive role in the SCO. Pakistan opposes terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We have successfully tackled the menace of terrorism on our soil," he added.
He said that the SCO has Agreement on Conducting Joint Anti-Terrorist Military Exercises among the member states to which both Pakistan and India acceded at the time of joining the Organization in June 2017.
The exercise "Peace Mission 2018" is being hosted by Russia under this agreement, he said, adding, "We are prepared to share our experiences with other SCO member states and work together against this common enemy."
"We hope that the SCO will provide an opportunity for both countries to interact for peace and security in the region," he added.
On Pakistan-Russia relations, he said that the friendship is fast evolving into a mature partnership. Relations between the two countries at present are characterized by mutual trust, commonality of interests, and convergence of views on important regional and global issues, he said, adding that both countries have similar stakes in durable peace and stability in their common neighborhood, and harbor shared aspirations for regional development and prosperity.
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