Foreign Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan on Thursday cast doubts on the US war against terrorism, saying Washington stopped supporting Islamabad when decisive counterterrorism operations were launched against the terrorists in the country after 2014.
We are very much concerned as to how could Daesh, a global terror network, find its home across the border in Afghanistan in the presence of the US," the foreign minister posed a question during a news conference along with Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal, in which he defended PML-N government's five-year foreign policy and stated that all the rumours of Pakistan's diplomatic isolation are false as Pakistan continues to engage deeply with the regional countries and the world at large.
Responding to a question, the minister alleged that the US, on one or the other pretext, stopped supporting Pakistan and also suspended its military assistance when a comprehensive and indiscriminate military operation, Zarb-e-Azb, was launched in 2014 against all terrorist groups in tribal areas followed by operation Radd-ul-Fasaad across the country.
He said that Pakistan is conducting these operations on its own resources, as the US has suspended the outstanding amount under Coalition Support Fund (CSF), adding that the US does recognize the huge sacrifices rendered by Pakistan in the fight but it is not acknowledging the successes gained as a result of the ongoing operations.
"There has been no change in the US narrative, but the ground realities and the facts have changed in Pakistan," he said, adding that the US administration was still seeing Pakistan as it was in 2011.
Giving a historical perspective of the Pakistan-US relations, he said that beyond Afghanistan and the issue of terrorism, the two sides have a multi-vectored partnership that spans over the areas of education, health, trade, science and technology, commerce, defense and security.
"Together our two countries have achieved great things in the past...We believe both countries stand to gain by cooperation rather than castigation," he said.
However, he pointed out that the new US policy on Afghanistan and South Asia has created an unnecessary divergence, which is based largely on perceptions rather than facts.
"Pakistan maintains that the ultimate goal of a safe and secure Afghanistan should take priority over any differences regarding ways and manner to achieve the end-goal," he added.
"Our relationship with the US, like all other states, is dynamic and evolving. We remain actively engaged with the US administration and other organs of the state to reconcile our differences and keep this important relationship free of misgivings," he said.
He also pointed there is engagement at the high-level between Pakistan and the US, adding that it is needed that there should also be interaction at lower level to make progress on the promises.
To a question, the foreign minister defended appointing Ali Jahangir Siddiqui as the new ambassador to the US, claiming that the traditional diplomacy usually did not succeed in Washington. "The decision to appoint Ali Jahangir Siddiqui was a good decision as we believe that he can better respond to the tune of Washington," he maintained.
Referring to the Afghan conflict, he said that Pakistan is making sincere efforts towards lasting peace in Afghanistan, adding that the only solution to the conflict is reconciliation.
Towards the better border management and the check the cross-movement of terrorists, he said that Pakistan is swiftly fencing the border on its own side and also hoped that the Afghan side would also take measures, which would help end the blame-game.
"Pakistan wishes to also see all Afghan refugees, to whom we have afforded sanctuary and security for over 40 years now, return expeditiously with dignity and honor to their country," he added.
Highlighting the government's priorities during the past five years, he said that the objective of the government was to promote economic connectivity, strengthen partnerships, expand Pakistan's diplomatic space, and raise its international profile.
He identified seven notable "landmarks", top of which, he mentioned, was strengthening and deepening relations with Beijing, saying that China has always been the anchor of Pakistan's foreign policy.
"It is a measure of success of our foreign policy that we are now poised to translate our geo-strategic location into a geo-economic asset. The CPEC is forging ahead with full steam," he said, adding that it has attracted investments of $46.6 billion and has put Pakistan squarely at the centre of a blueprint for a more hopeful, prosperous, and connected future for the region and the world.
Secondly, he said that the government concerted outreach to Central Asia, resulting in a marked and visible upswing in its relations with this important region. He said that Pakistan successfully hosted after a gap of nearly 22 years, the 13th ECO Summit in Islamabad in March 2017 and assumed chairmanship of ECO for the ensuing year.
The third achievement, he mentioned, was Pakistan's formal accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as a full member, adding it marks the country's entry into the largest club of nations in terms of size of populations, geographic expanse and quantum of resources.
Fourthly, he said that for the first time in history, Pakistan created and reinforced a historically unprecedented opening in relations with the Russian Federation. In recent times, he pointed out that there have been regular visits between the two sides. "We have developed mutual understandings and coordinated closely on issues of mutual concern. This relationship today has the potential to blossom into a multifaceted partnership," he added.
The fifth achievement he highlighted was the continued engagement and strengthening of country's relations with its traditional partners and allies in the Middle East, adding that Pakistan relations with Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran and Gulf states remain robust and continue to evolve.
The foreign minister mentioned the continued engagement with Pakistan's partners in Europe, Americas and the Far East, as the sixth achievement. "It is a measure of success of our economic diplomacy that Pakistan was able to attain the GSP Plus Status in 2014 for ten years, the widest and longest trade facilitation in Pakistan's history," he said, adding that Pakistan has sustained it successfully ever since, delivering a 38 percent increase in Pakistan's exports to the EU.
Seventhly, he pointed out that Pakistan continued to maintain a high profile and lead role in international forums including the UN, adding that Pakistan remained a lead contributor to the UN's global peacekeeping and peace building missions.
"It is a measure of our recognition and acknowledgment of our efforts that Pakistan has recently won elections to three important UN bodies: The Human Rights Council, ECOSOC's Committee on NGOs, and to the UNICEF Executive Board," he said, adding that out of 30 elections Pakistan contested between 2013- 2018, it won 27.
On Kashmir dispute, the foreign minister said Pakistan firmly stands with its Kashmiri brethren in their just struggle for right to self-determination. He said Pakistan has strongly highlighted the Kashmir dispute at the UN General Assembly and other forums.
He admitted there is tension in relations with India but made it clear the neighboring country cannot browbeat Pakistan. He said Pakistan has fully responded to the Indian aggression on the diplomatic and military fronts. However, he welcomed the recent understanding between the DGMOs of the two countries, saying it would deescalate tension on the Line of Control and Working Boundary.
Voicing concerns over the disruption of Indus Waters Treaty by India, he said that the arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav has beyond any iota of doubt exposed the Indian designs to subvert Pakistan.
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