Pakistan on Thursday demanded explanation from the United States over reports that its National Security Agency (NSA) intercepted 13.5 billion digital reports from the country for intelligence purposes in March this year alone. Foreign Office spokesman Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry told media persons during weekly press briefing on Thursday that Islamabad had taken up the matter with the US authorities to ascertain the veracity of the reports.
"We immediately approached the US authorities on the reports...our acting chief of mission in Washington has already taken up the matter with the State Department [to ascertain the facts] and we are awaiting their response," he said. About drone strikes, the spokesman said that Pakistan has emphatically conveyed to the US its concerns on drone attacks and raised the issue at different world forums including the United Nations Human Rights Council, which signified the importance that the government attached to the matter.
He said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had clearly called for an end to drone strikes and the matter was receiving priority attention of the government. On the instructions of the Prime Minister, his Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs had recently summoned the US Chargé d'Affaires to convey a strong message that "the drone strikes violate Pakistan's sovereignty and are not in keeping with international law or UN Charter or the norms of inter-state relations".
He said that there is an across-the-board political consensus on Pakistan's position on the issue of drone strikes and there is also a growing international debate over the humanitarian and legal implications of the strikes. About the expected visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry, he said that Secretary Kerry will pay his first visit to Islamabad in the fourth week of June for which final dates are being worked out.
Responding to another query about the violation of Pakistani airspace by two Indian jets, the spokesman said that Pakistan has seriously expressed concerns over the incident, adding the Indian authorities have termed the violation as "technical" saying that two of its trainee pilots inadvertently entered the Pakistani airspace.
"However, we still asked India to respect the agreement," he said, adding: "Pakistan and India are signatory to Prevention of Airspace Violations and the agreement should be respected." He said that Pakistan "wants normalised relations with India, adding there are some difficulties in relations, but Pakistan is committed to a peaceful neighbourhood". About the expected Pakistan-India talks next month, he said that the schedule of talks was not available with him.
To another query, the spokesman said that Afghan President Hamid Karzai has extended an invitation to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to visit Kabul through a letter, but no date has been fixed for this visit so far. He said that Pakistan considers Kabul as an important capital and it wants a peaceful, prosperous and stable Afghanistan. He further said no schedule of the Prime Minister's visit abroad has yet been finalised.
When his attention was drawn to problems being faced by Pakistani community in Saudi Arabia, he said that the ministry had been making strenuous efforts to address the situation, adding Islamabad had contacted Saudi authorities at every possible level. He said Pakistan missions at Riyadh and Jeddah were continuing their efforts to help Pakistanis regularise their stay in Saudi Arabia and also to assist illegal workers to leave the Kingdom before expiry of the grace period on July 3 this year.
He said that 111 companies had been registered with the Embassy to provide possible employment to Pakistanis affected by the Saudi policy and representatives of these companies were visiting the Embassy on daily basis to interview workers. He said that 65 irregular Pakistanis had been recruited by these companies and 1,575 emergency passports had been issued, while 10,705 out-passes had also been issued.
To another question, he said the 'secret fund' of the ministry of foreign affairs had been abolished as per the instructions of the government, adding the ministry would comply with the government orders in this regard. He also rejected media reports about differences or any rift between the Adviser on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi. He said that they were baseless.
He said: "There is a complete coherence between the two and they are working together to implement the directives of the prime minister on foreign policy." To a question about checks on organisations which promised their prospective employees sending Pakistanis abroad for visit or work, but do not fulfill their commitments, the spokesman said the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, and other authorities concerned were dealing with such organisations and agents who indulged in such malpractices. Responding to a question regarding deportation of former Ogra chief Touqeer Sadiq from the UAE, he said that Pakistan embassy in the UAE had been extending due assistance on the issue. To another query, the spokesman said that Pakistan Embassy in Damascus was fully functional and was taking all possible steps to ensure the safety of Pakistanis living in Syria.