Pakistan fully capable of dealing with domestic challenges: FO

ISLAMABAD: Taking note of the messages pouring in after the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan and the violent protests in the aftermath, the Foreign Office Thursday said Pakistan had the full ability to deal with all domestic challenges in accordance with its laws and the Constitution.

“We have noted the statements that have come on the current situation in Pakistan and we remind them all that Pakistan has the full ability to deal with all domestic challenges in accordance with our laws and Constitution,” said the Foreign Office.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari clearly told the interim Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi that there would be no talks with terrorist organisations, including the TTP, which did not respect the laws and the Constitution of Pakistan. Muttaqi’s visit and his proposal for Pakistan to talk out the differences with the TTP has been rejected by the Foreign Office and Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir in their one-on-one talks.

The issue was raised in the weekly Foreign Office presser here.

Spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said, “Pakistan has been very consistent. The foreign minister is on record to have said that there would be no talks with the terrorist organizations that did not respect our laws and Constitution. This was also very clearly enunciated in the trilateral statement that came out during the visit of the foreign minister of China and the interim Afghan foreign minister.

“In the trilateral statement, the three sides underscored the need to tackle the security challenges, posing a serious threat to regional peace and stability. They agreed not to allow their territories to be used by any individual group or party, including the TTP and ETIM, to conduct terrorist activities and actions. This was a joint statement that was a result of a consensus between the three delegations”.

In this regard, Baloch retreated that Pakistan, China and Afghanistan underscored the need to tackle the security challenges posing a serious threat to regional peace and stability, not to allow their territories to be used by any individual, group or party including the TTP and ETIM, to conduct terrorist activities and actions.

The spokeswoman did not agree with reports published in the local and foreign media regarding the comments of the visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang that Pakistan needed to put its house in order if there was to be progress, especially on the CPEC.

Qin Gang had not allowed his remarks to be aired live at the Foreign Office.

“Actually, I have the transcript of his statement and not what media reported. I would like to say that Pakistan and China are close friends. The Chinese foreign minister shared his best wishes for stability and consensus in Pakistan so that it can focus on growing the economy, improving the people’s lives and bringing the country onto a fast track towards development,” clarified the spokeswoman.

Regarding Pakistan’s participation in the SCO meeting, the spokeswoman remarked, “We believe Pakistan made the right decision to participate in the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. It shows our commitment to the SCO. You may have seen the statement the foreign minister made. He highlighted Pakistan’s viewpoint on all aspects of our concern about security, about economic development and about connectivity in this region. He also underlined that terrorism should not be weaponized as a tool of foreign policy. You may have also seen the interactions the foreign minister had with the Indian and Pakistani media.”

On Kashmir, the spokeswoman said Pakistan’s position was consistent with its long-standing position on various issues, including weaponization of terrorism and on the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

“It should not have come as a surprise to anyone. Any statements that have been made in that respect criticizing our foreign minister’s statements are just unfortunate and baseless”, she added. She said Pakistan was surprised at the tone and tenor of the remarks that came from the Indian side. “It reflects their frustration when confronted with the truth. We expect all SCO member states to demonstrate a positive approach as demonstrated by Pakistan,” she said.