Pakistan for smooth transition process in US

ISLAMABAD: In a first official reaction to the storming of the United States Congress building by pro-Trump supporters, Pakistan offered a guarded reaction.

“We are closely following the developments in Washington DC. We are hopeful that the situation will soon normalise and would not in any way impact the ongoing transition process. We also wish to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden on certification of his win by the US Congress,” spokesman at the Foreign Office said at the weekly media briefing.

When asked to comment on demands by Afghan authorities to return seven victims in the militant attack on Hazara coalminers in Mach, there was no definite response.

“As for the Mach incident, the matter is being thoroughly investigated to ascertain the facts and as soon as further details are available, they will be shared with the media,” said the spokesman.

To a query regarding Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) seizing a South Korea-flagged oil tanker in the waters of the Persian Gulf, he responded, “We have noted the development. We believe that differences pertaining to maritime affairs should be resolved as per international law. We urge all sides to exercise restraint.”

Reacting to India joining the UNSC as non-permanent member, the spokesman said it is ironic that India is able to sit on a UN body whose resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir have been persistently and defiantly flouted by it for over 70 years.

“India continues to oppress the Kashmiris and deny their inalienable right to self-determination that was guaranteed to them under numerous resolutions of the UN Security Council,” he added.

Taking note of allegations by First Vice President of Afghanistan Amrullah Saleh against Pakistan, the spokesman refuted the charges. “Pakistan strongly repudiates baseless, false and fictitious allegations made by Afghanistan’s First Vice President Amrullah Saleh in a Facebook post regarding illegal transfer of material from Pakistan that could be used as explosive,” he said.

“As per our bilateral agreements and mutual understanding reached in APAPPS and shared vision agreed during the visit of the prime minister to Kabul on November 19, 2020, the two countries have obligation to avoid public blame-game and use official channels to discuss complete gamut of bilateral relations,” he said.

The spokesman said it was important for the two sides to focus on enhancing cooperation and coordination through the existing official channels.