Arrest of ex-servicemen Pakistan’s internal matter: FO

ISLAMABAD: The recent arrests of senior ex-servicemen also made its way into the Foreign Office on Friday in the context of reaction from the Pentagon which was welcomed by the spokeswoman in the weekly media briefing.

The issue of military arrests came up in a media briefing in Pentagon and the spokesperson refrained from any comments saying it was purely an internal affair of Pakistan.

When asked for her views, the spokeswoman responded, “I do not wish to welcome a statement or lack thereof which was not even expected from a foreign government. A foreign government, as we have said on multiple occasions, need not comment on the domestic affairs of Pakistan. So if a government refrains from making a statement, they are doing the right thing and the Government of Pakistan does not need to welcome that”.

To a query on trade relations with India, the spokeswoman categorically said there were no bilateral talks on the issue at this time. “You would recall the developments that took place in 2019 and the illegal and unilateral steps taken by India in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Following that, several measures were taken by Pakistan, including the suspension of bilateral trade. That situation remains intact, and at this point there are no bilateral talks between the two countries with respect to bilateral trade between Pakistan and India”, she said.

When asked about the well-publicised visit in 2021 to Kabul by a former DG ISI and the situation as it emerged, the spokeswoman said Pakistan had consistently raised its concerns about the hideouts and sanctuaries of terror groups, including TTP in Afghanistan. “This concern is well-known. We have voiced it publicly. We have conveyed it bilaterally, through different channels at various occasions, including recently. We expect the Afghan authorities to take immediate and robust action against these terror groups so that they stop their terror activities inside Pakistan,” she pointed out.

She added that Pakistan was concerned that the terror attacks by these terror groups, which had bases in Afghanistan, had increased. Pakistan has been expressing its concern for the last several months. “We expect the Afghan authorities to take immediate and effective and robust action against these terror groups,” she said.

To a query on the upcoming SCO Heads of Government Meeting to be held in Islamabad, the spokeswoman noted that the SCO procedures were very specific. “Pakistan as the Chair of the Heads of Government Meeting is following the SCO procedures under which all such initiatives are first brought to the SCO setup, where the participating governments confirm the dates of the conference and then their participation”. In this regard, Pakistan was in the process of receiving confirmations from the participating countries. “I am not in a position to give the names of the countries which have confirmed their participation, but a vast majority has confirmed,” she acknowledged.

To a query about the recent celebrations on 15th of August by the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad, she pointed out that Minister for Housing Riaz Hussain Pirzada represented the Government of Pakistan at the event. She said Special Representative on Afghanistan Ambassador Asif Durrani also participated. “This participation reflects the culture of both Pakistan and Afghanistan to accept invitations and join in each other’s celebrations,” she said.

Turning to the events in the Middle East, the spokeswoman said Pakistan was deeply concerned over the recent developments in the Middle East which was a result of the illegal acts by Israel against the people of Palestine and its adventurism against its neighbours and countries in the region. “We also support the OIC statement that held Israel fully responsible for its crime of assassinating the political bureau chief of Hamas in Tehran. The OIC called that attack a crime of aggression and a flagrant violation of international law and a serious infringement of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and national sovereignty of Iran,” she said.

In this regard, she said Pakistan believed that it was the responsibility of the United Nations under the international law to ensure that there was peace in the region and Israel was held accountable for its acts.