Pakistan on Thursday lodged strong protest with Afghanistan on the brutal murder of 23 FC personnel inside its territory and urged the Afghan government to take prompt action to apprehend and punish the perpetrators of the heinous and inhumane crime.
According to Foreign Office spokesperson, Tasnim Aslam, the protest was conveyed to Afghan side by Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, to his Afghan counterpart Zarar Maqbool Osmani in Male, where both were attending the SAARC ministerial meeting.
"The Adviser urged the Afghan government to take prompt action to apprehend and punish the perpetrators of this heinous and inhumane crime", she said, adding that the Afghan Foreign Minister promised to convey the message of concern to the relevant authorities in Afghanistan.
She further said that the Adviser reminded his Afghan counterpart that in the Trilateral Summit, in Ankara recently, it was agreed that both sides would not only prevent the use of their territory against each other but also take action against militants engaged in hostile action.
Responding to media quires during weekly press briefing about the outcome of the secretary of interior's recent visit to Afghanistan, the spokesperson said that there was some unanimity of views about certain actions to be taken on Pak-Afghan border to check the illegal movement. She said that the proposal of fencing the border will be further discussed in the upcoming meetings between the concerned officials of the two countries.
To another question, she refuted media reports as outlandish that Pakistan is sending 100,000 troops to Saudi Arabia. This is not true. This is factually incorrect. You know the total size of our armed forces is close to 600,000.We have eastern border to take care of, then we have a situation on the western border and terrorists attacks as well", she said, adding that Pakistan cannot spare troops in such a large number.
She further said that neither there is a need to send Pakistani troops to Saudi Arabia nor the issue was discussed during the recent visit by the Saudi Crown Prince. About Pakistan's reported policy shift on the Syrian situation, she clarified that there is no change in Pakistan's position in the sense that since the first Geneva Conference on Syria in June 2012, Syria's own position has also evolved a change. This process, which is under the UN auspices, was initially rejected by Syria, but later on Syria became a part of it, she pointed out.
"We would like to see an end to violence in Syria. We do not subscribe to the theory of regime change in any country", she said, adding that essentially, the people of Syria will talk to each other and work out what kind of set-up they will have in future. She pointed out that the language of the joint statement at the conclusion of the Saudi Crown Prince's recent visit was taken from Geneva-I Communiqué, which has been accepted by the Syrian government as well So, there is no need for undue concern", she added.
To another question, the spokesperson said that she was not aware of any discussions in which Pakistan had urged the US to delay troops withdrawal during the recent visit by Commander of the US Central Command. On dialogue between Afghan High Peace Council and the Taliban in Dubai, she said that it was an internal matter of Afghanistan. "What concerns us is peace and all efforts are for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. We support that completely", she added.
About the abduction of five Iranian border security guards, she said that the issue is being under discussion in the ongoing interaction of the border commission of the two countries. The Chief Secretary Balochistan and Deputy Governor of Sistan, Iran, are leading their respective sides, she said, adding that security agencies from both sides are also participating. She said that these meetings are essential to resolve such issues on the borders "Obviously, the issue of abduction of guards was raised. This was also discussed with our ambassador but not acrimoniously instead in the spirit of co-operation", she added.
She said it is in the common interest of all to curb the activities of the criminals, drug traffickers, smugglers, human-smugglers and terrorists. Referring to Chairman Senate Nayyar Hussain Bokhari's recent visit to Iran, she said that during his meeting with Iranian President, there was reference to the historical and religious ties between our two countries by the Iranian President.
She further said that there was also a desire that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should visit Tehran and that the Joint Economic Commission should also meet. "There was an understanding that some elements may be trying to create problems between Pakistan and Iran and they should be dealt with in a co-ordinated manner" she added. She was of the opinion that the current "bitterness" between Pakistan and Iran will not affect Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project as well as the bilateral relations. "We don't see these incidents can derail our relationship", she said, adding that there was a statement from Iranian Interior Minister and there was a response from Pakistan side. "But you cannot look at the relationship between Pakistan and Iran through the prism of one small issue or some event at the border", she pointed out. She also referred to Iranian President's recent statement in which he stated that "this relationship is much deeper, much broader, it is between two peoples, it has social, religious, cultural and economic aspects. has many dimensions".
However, she said that the pipeline issue is separate, adding that there was a timeline but there were also some other commitments and agreements regarding financing. "They have fallen apart, therefore, perhaps we need to renegotiate the timeline as well", she added. About KASA-1000 project, she said there have been some pre-feasibility studies. However, she said that it is not a project that would come up immediately because we need to have a stable situation in Afghanistan for the construction of the pipeline.