ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Thursday refrained from making a direct comment on the Biden administration’s implicit “concerns” over Pakistan’s decision to import oil from Russia, saying the two countries under the “new process of re-engagement” discuss all issues of concern to them.
Speaking at her weekly media briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Pakistan appreciated its “close” friendship with the US.
“We believe that we are in a new process of reengagement which is very productive and cooperative. We’re undertaking discussions on a range of issues, including agriculture, climate change, trade, investment, energy and other sectors. We also continue to discuss issues of concerns to both sides. And all issues that concern either side are discussed by both parties,” she said when asked to comment on US State Department spokesperson Ned Price’s remarks that “the US has been very clear that now is not the time to increase economic activity with Russia.”
Commenting on former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s revelations that the US prevented a “nuclear war” in 2019 between Pakistan and India after the Balakot air strike, the spokesperson said the international community was well aware of the restraint and responsibility displayed by Pakistan following the 2019 incident.
“This is the personal account of one individual. The international community knows fully well who was the belligerent party during the events of February 2019. The international community is fully aware of the restraint and responsibility displayed by Pakistan and the steps we took to de-escalate the situation in contrast to the highly irresponsible posturing and war hysteria by India. At the same time, we demonstrated our firm resolve to take action to safeguard our territorial integrity and security against any form of aggression,” she added.
To another query about India’s invitation to Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for attending the forthcoming ministerial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) scheduled to be held in Indian city, Goa, on May 4-5, 2023, she confirmed the invitation extended to the foreign minister, saying that decision on the invite would be taken in due course.
She said both Pakistan and India were members of the SCO and it was an important trans-regional organisation that aimed at strengthening economic linkages and cooperation among its member states in different fields.
She said India was holding the rotating chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State for the year 2022-2023 and every year SCO developed a calendar of activities, which included meetings of the foreign minister.
“In that capacity, the chair extends an invitation to all [SCO] member states…As in the past, these invitations are being processed as per standard procedures and a decision will be taken in due course,” she added.
Answering another query, she said there were no channels of communications or dialogue with India.
About the ban imposed by the Indian government on a BBC documentary, she said India’s reaction to the BBC documentary including restrictions on its circulation had once again highlighted the shrinking space for freedom of media in India.
She said all the assertions in the documentary were yet another endorsement of Pakistan’s stance.
On the situation in Afghanistan, she said Pakistan stressed the importance of peace and stability in its neighbourhood. “We underscore our desire to work closely with regional countries to pursue continuous and practical engagement with the interim Afghan government on countering terrorism and to help avert humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan,” she said.
She said Pakistan was in consultation with the Afghan interim government on all matters of security including the security of Pakistani diplomats and premises.
During the recent visit of Russian Special Representative for Afghanistan Ambassador Zamir Kabulov, she said that both Pakistan and Russia reiterated their commitment to work closely to further strengthen coordination and cooperation in promoting peace, stability and economic development in Afghanistan.
Responding to a question about reports of an alleged sexual harassment case in Pakistan’s High Commission in New Delhi, she said Pakistan was looking into the case and investigation into it was under consideration.
“We take such allegations very seriously. It’s very important that our diplomats and diplomatic staff behave in a professional manner. Any individual who visits our missions should feel safe and respected,” she said.
On the situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), she reiterated Pakistan’s grave concerns over the worst human rights abuses in the IIOJK.
She said Pakistan would continue to extend unstinted moral, political and diplomatic support to the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their quest for self-determination in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolution.
“We pay rich tribute to the sacrifices of martyrs of three massacres committed by the Indian occupation forces in the IIOJK during the month of January in the 1990s,” she said in reference to India’s republic day.
The spokesperson said Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar would lead the Pakistan delegation to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on January 30, 2023.
During the visit, she added Khar would highlight Pakistan’s important contributions towards global human rights discourse and norm-building.
The spokesperson also reiterated Pakistan’s strong condemnation of the recent acts of desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden and The Netherlands.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023