ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Friday made its first official statement on Indian reports that the Modi government was about to make changes to the status of the Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, warning New Delhi that such changes will constitute a breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
“There are speculations in the media about the status of Jammu and Kashmir. I can officially make a statement to clarify our position. We have seen the relevant news reports. Our position on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is very clear; for us Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed territory whose final status is to be determined in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and aspirations of the Kashmiri people. Besides India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5th August 2019 were in breach of the UN Charter, the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the international law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention. Further steps in pursuance of these actions, if any, will constitute a similar breach. This is our official position on that,” said the Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan during the weekly media briefing.
To a query about news reports that the Israeli prime minister had told the Indian media that Israel supported India during its Operation Sindoor, the spokesperson said he was aware of these reports.
“However, we do not comment on the developments and bilateral relations between different countries. At the same time, it is a matter of common knowledge that Pakistan successfully and resolutely defended its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Indian aggression, regardless of the weaponry used by the Indian side.”
The spokesperson was at pains to explain to several queries how the Afghan CDA had been upgraded to the ambassadorial rank, when he had not presented his papers to the president of Pakistan which was customary for all ambassadors and why a ceremony with the flags of Pakistan and Afghanistan had not taken place.
“Regarding the upgradation, the decision has been reached and implemented, and we have announced that the CDAs in both capitals, through mutual agreement, have been upgraded to the ambassadorial rank. The bilateral relations between the two countries are now at the ambassadorial level. And that process, in our view, is complete. The Afghan ambassador in Pakistan enjoys the protocol due to an ambassador. Upgradation to the ambassadorial level has taken place, and no further action is required,” he responded hinting that the Afghan ambassador will not call on the president.
To another query, the spokesperson said, “They (CDAs of Pakistan and Afghanistan) are now ambassadors, so no further steps are needed. This is our position on the matter; we do not deem it essential that they should present credentials. About the flag question, I will need to check with our protocol, and will get back to you,” he responded.
Asked if the visit of the Afghan foreign minister to Islamabad could not take place because of a UNSC ban on him, he shrugged a direct response to say that the list of Afghan personnel banned under the UNSC was publically available.
“I am not going into details, but I have clarified that the dates of the visit are being worked out. So, on the question of postponement of the visit of Afghan FM, whenever we plan our high level visits, we agree upon a tentative date and unless both the countries agree on that, no formal announcement is made in this regard. And there was no formal announcement by Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry on this so no postponement of the visit,” he said.
When reminded about an unfriendly statement from the Afghan Taliban minister of energy and water, the spokesperson said, “We will, of course, take it up with the Afghan government. But no country has a more vested interest in a stable Afghanistan than Pakistan. The statement completely belies common sense, history and the facts.”
Taliban Minister of Energy and Water Abdul Latif Mansoor had remarked on TV, “We now understand that certain neighboring countries, especially Pakistan, do not want Afghanistan to have a strong central government, whether it is the Taliban, the Mujahideen, or the Communists, as having a self-reliant administration in Afghanistan hinders their political and economic objectives.”
The spokesperson agreed that invitations from the Afghan foreign ministry to political and religious leaders in Pakistan had been sent for an August 4 function to be held in Islamabad in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pakistan, on the expected visit of the Afghan foreign minister.
He was asked that this invitation was for a visit by the Afghan foreign minister which had been finalized but reports indicated that American pressure did not allow the visit to materialize.
“About the invitations being circulated, if it is authentic, I would say that people make mistakes. If a visit is finalised, the foreign ministry makes an announcement. The two sides are still working. I would reiterate that as soon as the dates are finalized, we will officially announce”, he responded without clarifying how an invitation by the Foreign Office could have been a “mistake”.
Commenting on terrorism in KP and Balochistan, the spokesperson pointed out that on a number of occasions, the government had highlighted the issue of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan and it was the centerpiece of its conversations with the Afghan government.
“We have been drawing their attention to the fact that the terrorists enjoy sanctuaries in Afghanistan. At the same time, we have evidence about India’s involvement in fanning terrorism in Pakistan. We have shared those with our friendly countries and will keep highlighting it,” he said.
Pakistan, it appears, is still hopeful that the Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline Project will see the light of day.
Asked if this was raised when the Iranian president had visited Pakistan, he replied, “Pakistan-Iran bilateral relations are rich and multifaceted. They are all-encompassing, covering various areas of cooperation ranging from politics, diplomacy, culture, economy, trade, border management, people to people contacts, and education. In other words, they enjoy a very positive and dense relationship, as it should be between two brotherly neighboring countries. The pipeline issue is under discussion between the technical teams from both sides. As soon as there is a development in that regard, we will let you know.”
When asked about the details of meetings between Israel and Pakistan in the past, the spokesperson did not deny this outright but replied, “I have no knowledge of complete history. I will have to check but what I can say is that we do not recognize Israel. Our passports do not entitle our citizens to travel to that country. Our position is from the beginning, the time of our Founding Fathers. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah is clear and consistent, unambiguous and very clear. There is no question of these kinds of contacts with Israel particularly in this time of depravity, brutality and barbarity which Israel has unleashed on the people of Palestine, and on people of Lebanon. Our position on the whole question of peace and security in the Middle East is very well known and very clear.”
It is a matter of record that there is one recorded instance of a Pakistani politician meeting with a key Israeli official in Turkey which made it to the media with photographs.
On September 1, 2005 Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom met his counterpart Khurshid Kasuri during General Pervez Musharraf’s government.
The spokesperson trashed speculations about a secret agreement between the US and Pakistan on mineral mining in Pakistan.
“There is so much speculation going on. Earlier, it used to be media speculation, but now there is social media speculation as well. There is no question of any secret agreements or Pakistan compromising on its national interest. At the same time, there is a mechanism through which we invite Foreign Investment. We have been working to attract more foreign investment. The details, as they become mature, will be shared with you,” he said.
About the US interest in settlement of Kashmir issue, Pakistan says it welcomes help not only from the US, but any country which can help stabilize the situation and move towards resolution of the Kashmir dispute, which is at the heart of issues of peace and security in South Asia.
“We will welcome that. And of course, in all diplomatic engagements, our side emphasizes and explains our perspective and the centrality of this issue,” added the spokesperson.