Aziz dismisses allegations of inconclusive evidence about Kulbhushan

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz on Wednesday rejected media reports attributed to him regarding "inconclusive evidence" to finalise dossier against arrested RAW agent Kulbhushan Yadav, and said some additional information has been sought from Indian government which is yet to be shared.
"I have never used the word 'inconclusive evidence', rather I told the Committee of the Whole [of the Senate] that some additional information is required which the government of Pakistan has sought from Indian government," Aziz told Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, chaired by Senator Nuzhat Sadiq.
However, some members of the panel noted with concerns that the delay in compiling additional information on evidence against Yadav is weakening Pakistan's case internationally and also termed it a lack of political will on the part of the government to delay submission of solid dossier despite passage of nine months since his arrest in March this year.
"I cannot understand as to what kind of political will it lacks neither our case is weak because he [Yadav] is a serving Indian navy officer and we already have his confessional statement, nor there is absence of any political will," the adviser said while responding to the concerns expressed by the senators.
He further said that investigation from Yadav is still under way and more information is being collected from him, adding the dossier is in its final stages. Once the additional information is collected, he added, Pakistan will present dossier before the UN and other major powers on Indian involvement in subversive activities inside Pakistan.
The matter of Kulbhushan Yadav was raised by PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar who expressed his concerns that in the present scenario, Pakistan's case with regard to the Indian agent seems weak.
While PTI Senator Shibli Faraz and MQM's Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi observed that there seems lack of political will to proactively pursue the case before the international community.
"We've a solid proof of Indian involvement in the shape of Kulbhushan Yadav but it really lacks the political will to present the case in the world capitals. Had it been our man in Indian custody, there had been a flood of criticism on Pakistan. Neither we are pursing Yadav case proactively nor our stance on Kashmir is yielding any fruit," Mashhadi observed.
He added that the OIC, instead of supporting Pakistan, is making huge investment in India while there is no progress relating to Pakistan's relations with its neighbours including Afghanistan and Iran.
"Why aren't they supporting us instead? Whenever there is any new appointment, our first salute is always to them," Mashadi remarked, in an obvious reference to Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa's maiden visit to Saudi Arabia. He further stated that Tariq Fatemi, PM's Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs has been in the US for the last many days but he hasn't been able so far to meet the President-elect Donald Trump's team. "But the Prime Minister resorted to embark on a visit to Bosnia...fair enough, at least we got a country where our Prime Minister can visit," he further maintained.
He also expressed concerns over the lack of strategy to deal with India's water terrorism and the World Bank's (WB) decision which would largely favour India in construction of the controversial projects during the pause period announced by the WB.
However, responding to the concerns, Sartaj Aziz said that Pakistan is in the process of evolving its strategy which would be announced in next three to four days.
With Afghanistan, he said that Pakistan has always opted for co-operative relationship and there would be an important trilateral meeting next week of Pakistan, Russia and China in Moscow on Afghan situation.
He further said that Pakistan is the only country in the world which is more cooperative to its landlocked neighbours, Afghanistan, adding Pakistan is focusing people to people contacts with Afghans and it will continue to play its constructive role in restoration of peace and stability in the war-torn country.
Furthermore, the adviser pointed out that after coming into power, the current government announced its policy shift on Afghanistan that Pakistan will not interfere in any other country's affairs but instead will focus on its own security and economic development.
With Iran, he said Pakistan is enjoying good cooperative relations and the two sides are discussing the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project and negotiations are under way on the revisit of the content of the gas project agreement.
Briefing the committee on evolving situation at borders with India, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry said that a new life was seen in the freedom movement in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) in July and violations at LoC gained momentum as result of this movement.
He said that the violations on LoC and Working Boundary are being conducted to distract attention from the atrocities committed by India in IHK. He said these violations resulted in 45 civilian deaths while 138 people also got injured.
Responding to the senators' questions, Chaudhry said that the US Security Council has already been approached on LoC violations and a letter has been circulated as official document within the members but the Council has its own methodology to put the matters on agenda for debate.
To another query about sending the adviser to India for attending Heart of Asia Conference, he said that the Foreign Office stands by its decision to attend the conference at adviser level and Pakistan being the outgoing chair of the summit had to show that it is serious towards resolution of the problems in Afghanistan.
The meeting was also briefed about the EU Joint Commission meeting and visit of British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to the country.
Sartaj Aziz told the meeting that both Pakistan and EU have shown satisfaction over the progress on five-year strategic plan and have agreed on finalising the new plan early next year. He further said that Secretary Johnson assured Pakistan that Brexit will not affect Pak-UK relations except to make it further stronger.
The meeting was also briefed on the progress made concerning four issues of overseas Pakistanis including Amir Mateen, a missing Pakistani in Dubai; Pakistani victims working for different companies in Saudi Arabia; Pakistani labourers jailed in Oman; and minor fishermen arrested by India.