No compromise on national interests: Sartaj

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said in the Senate on Wednesday that international alliances continued to change but the government would not make any compromise on national interests. He said the Saudi initiative of Islamic Military Alliance was for fighting terrorism and it was natural for Pakistan to join it and contribute to eradicate extremism and terrorism.

He was making a policy statement in the House after several senators strongly objected to allowing ex-COAS Gen (retd) Raheel Sharif to proceed to Saudi Arabia to head the alliance despite the fact that the contours of the new arrangement had not become clear, nor were the terms of reference yet finalised.

The adviser conceded, “We have our concerns and we have differences with the US, especially with regard to strategic stability in our region but international relations are not a zero-sum game. We will continue to build and strengthen relations with the US and strive to resolve areas of divergence. And this is true for every other country in the world”.

“The aims of the alliance are to build narratives, share intelligence and information and training to fight extremism and terrorists. With our experience in counterterrorism and our close ties with Saudi Arabia, it was but natural for us to join the coalition and contribute to exterminate extremism and terrorism,” he said.

A cursory look at global affairs, he pointed out, would show the extent of turmoil and uncertainty in the region, especially in the Muslim world. “In comparison, Pakistan has achieved considerable success in the past few years in controlling terrorism.

We have taken decisive action against terrorism, cleared thousands of squares of kilometres of our area in the tribal region of terrorist networks and embarked on a road to economic recovery,” he said.

Aziz said, “To think that we would squander away these hard earned gains by getting involved in different Middle East disputes is naïve to say the least. Our policies are aimed at unity of the Muslim Ummah and we have welcomed all efforts in promoting mediation and reconciliation.

“With Iran, our relations are stable and positive. President Rouhani visited Pakistan in March 2016 and again in March 2017. Our economic cooperation is on the increase and we have agreed to link Chahbahar and Gawadar as sister ports. Iran is also a part of the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative and our connectivity is bound to increase in the coming years. Ayatollah Khamenei’s recent statements in support of the struggle of the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir have been welcomed by the Foreign Office,” he said.

Explaining some general principles in a bid to address concerns of the senators, he said, “Alliances shift and transform while interests remain permanent. As a corollary, Pakistan has never compromised on its core interests and never will, yet has the wherewithal and capacity to adapt to changing environment. Countries adapt their foreign policies according to the overall emerging environment that no single country has the capability to shape according to its wishes and priorities”.

He noted in the emerging international environment, for example, Pakistan had to deal with the turmoil in the Middle East, a Europe grappling with Brexit and a stagnant economy, the gradual shift of economic and political centre of gravity to the East, away from Europe and the West and from bipolarity towards a multipolar world.

“Pakistan’s foreign policy is fully cognizant of emergent realities and has responded to these changes in line with our national interests. Pakistan faced a decade of sanctions but met the pressures without compromising its core interest. When the time came, we responded to the Indian nuclear tests, despite global pressure. Despite these differences we maintained positive relations with US,” the adviser maintained.