PM to co-chair first-ever GRF in Geneva from 17th

Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit Geneva, Switzerland, on December 17-18, 2019 to co-chair a first-ever Global Refugee Forum (GRF) along with several other heads of state, Foreign Office said.

In his weekly media briefing, Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was scheduled to reconvene the first-ever Global Refugee Forum (GRF) in Geneva, which was being organised in recognition of Pakistan's generosity, hospitality and compassion in hosting Afghan refugees for over 40 years.

The Global Refugee Forum - the first major meeting on refugees of the 21st century - will be jointly hosted by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and the government of Switzerland on December 17-18, 2019, he said, adding that several other heads of state are expected to join the Prime Minister as co-conveners.

He also stated that on the invitation of Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr Tun Mahathir Mohamad, Prime Minister Imran Khan will also be participating in the KL Summit, which is due to take place in Kuala Lumpur from December 18-20, 2019.

The KL Summit is an initiative of the Malaysian Prime Minister together with the participation of leaders, scholars and intellectuals. It is a platform to exchange views on the current challenges and to work together to address them.

"KL Summit would provide Pakistan an opportunity to exchange views and find solutions to the challenges facing the Muslim world, particularly governance, development, terrorism and Islamophobia," he said, adding the Summit would also provide Pakistan an opportunity to foster cooperation in diverse areas with the participating countries.

In a positive development, he added, Moody's Investors Service - a leading global agency - has upgraded Pakistan's credit rating outlook to 'stable' from 'negative'. "This improvement in the outlook is greatly expected to revitalize foreign investors' confidence in Pakistan," he added.

To a question, he reiterated Pakistan's principled position on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. "Pakistan stands by its historic position on Kashmir and there is not even a modicum of change in it. I would stress that no change in our policy can be brought about in this regard. The Jammu and Kashmir dispute remains the cornerstone of the foreign policy of Pakistan," he asserted.

He said India had been taking extreme steps to try to muffle the voice of Kashmiris and claim IOJ&K illegally. "The Indian attempts to change the status of IOJ&K would fail miserably, as these failed in the past," he said, adding there could be no resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute without taking into account the wishes of Kashmiri people in line with the UNSC resolutions.

Referring to the situation in the IOJ&K, he said the humanitarian nightmare in IOJ&K had been worsening with continued military lockdown and complete communication blackout for 126 consecutive days, which was affecting life and property of millions of innocent Kashmiris.

He also urged the international community, the United Nations, and other human rights organizations to take notice of the brutal suppression of the religious rights and freedom of the Kashmiri people in utter violation of international laws and conventions.

He said Pakistan continued to internationally highlight the dire situation in the Indian-occupied Jammu & Kashmir and the plight of the Kashmiri people in the face of inhuman lockdown since India's illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019.

When his comments were sought on US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's statement that the planners of Mumbai attacks roam free and need to be prosecuted, Dr Faisal declined to comment, saying: "Mumbai case is sub-judice with regular hearings taking place, therefore, I cannot comment on this matter."

About the Prime Minister's shuttle diplomacy between Saudi Arabia and Iran, he said Pakistan was actively pursuing its efforts and 'positive' results were also coming in this regard.

When asked to comment on Pakistan bashing in the recent Japan-India joint statement, he said Pakistan had categorically rejected the country's specific biased remarks in the joint statement of the first Foreign and Defense Ministers meeting of 30 November 2019. Those one-sided remarks were totally divorced from the ground realities, he added.

"Japan is well aware of how much Pakistan has suffered and sacrificed in its counterterrorism efforts. Our counterterrorism contributions were publicly acknowledged by the then Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono (now defense minister) during his visit to Pakistan in January 2018," he said.

He said Pakistan had also registered its strong disappointment and concern to the Japanese side through diplomatic channels. "Pakistan attaches great importance to its relationship with Japan, which is free from any historical baggage. We hope that two countries would continue to work together for advancement of shared goals for peace and development," he added.

About the resumption of the US-Taliban talks, he said Pakistan had welcomed the announcement, adding, "We hope that it will lead to intra-Afghan negotiations and ultimately to a peaceful and stable Afghanistan."

He said Pakistan encouraged all parties to the conflict to engage constructively as a shared responsibility, adding Pakistan had always maintained that there was no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan. "An inclusive peace and reconciliation process, involving all segments of the Afghan society is the only practical way forward," he added.

In the wake of the recently held Envoys Conference, he said the government had prepared a plan to reach out the African nations.