Islamabad tells Kabul: End terror sanctuaries attacking our forces

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Thursday called upon the Afghan government to take immediate action against terrorists and terror groups finding sanctuaries in Afghanistan to target its security forces.

“Pakistan strongly condemns the use of Afghan soil by terrorists for activities against it,” Foreign Office spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said in a statement.

He said terrorists from inside Afghanistan fired across international border on a military post in Mohmand district. Pakistani troops responded promptly, he added.

During the exchange of fire, Frontier Corps (FC) soldier Sepoy Fazal Wahid, 25, resident of Shangla, embraced Shahadat, the spokesman mentioned.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Thursday welcomed the start of second round of Intra-Afghan negotiations in Doha and called upon both the sides to remain constructively engaged and show flexibility.

“We call upon both sides to remain constructively engaged and show flexibility in negotiations for reaching an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement, which would lead to lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan,” Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said in his weekly press briefing here.

He said both the teams had made significant progress by finalising rules and procedures last month and had now reconvened to negotiate on substantive issues.

Hoping that the two sides would prioritise working out a roadmap for reduction in violence and ceasefire in the negotiations, the spokesperson reiterated Pakistan’s abiding commitment to a peaceful, stable, united, sovereign, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan.

Pakistan also welcomed the decision by Saudi Arabia and State of Qatar to reopen their land, air and sea borders to each other.

He also appreciated the other steps being taken by the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to resolve four decades old outstanding issues between the GCC countries.

He lauded the positive role played by the Emir of Kuwait towards resolution of differences and reiterated that Pakistan continued to accord high importance to its relations with the GCC and its member states.

Mentioning the observance of Kashmiris’ Right to Self-determination Day observed on January 5, the spokesperson said the Day reminded the international community, in particular the UN Security Council, of the imperative of honouring its commitment towards the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Chaudhri said voices from around the world continued to condemn inhuman oppression of the Kashmiri people and illegal and inhuman incarceration of the Kashmiri leadership.

Pakistan welcomes the statement of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) urging the UN, OIC member states and the international human rights community to put pressure on the Indian government for release of Andrabi and her associates and all other political prisoners.

Moreover, the Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organization (MAPIM) has also strongly condemned worsening human rights violations; extrajudicial killings; illegal demographic change; inhuman incarceration of Kashmiri leaders, particularly of Asiya Andrabi and her associates.

The spokesperson also categorically rejected completely unwarranted assertions by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in connection with the Hindu temple incident in Karak.

“This is not the first time the Indian government has tried to feign concern for minority rights elsewhere, while being the most egregious and persistent violator of minority rights itself,” he remarked.

He said as a perennial purveyor of state-sponsored discrimination against its minorities, India was in no position to pontificate on the issue of minority rights elsewhere.

“The clear difference between India and Pakistan in respect of minority rights can be gauged from the fact that the accused in the Karak incident were immediately arrested, orders were issued for repair of the temple, the highest level of judiciary took immediate notice, and senior political leadership condemned the incident,” the spokesperson stated.

Regarding the situation in IOJ&K, he said India had continuously subjected the people of IIOJK to a brutal military siege, inhuman restrictions and state terrorism for an unprecedented 521 days since India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5th August 2019.

Pakistan strongly condemns the latest extra-judicial killings by the Indian occupation forces of three Kashmiri youths in Srinagar on 29 December 2020.