ISLAMABAD: In a bid to ensure lasting peace between the two countries, Pakistan on Thursday reaffirmed its commitment to engage with Afghanistan on all aspects of cooperation and concern including issues pertaining to terror threats.
Speaking at a weekly press briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch called upon Afghan authorities to fulfill their promises that their soil will not be used for terrorism against Pakistan.
“It’s their responsibility to ensure that their land is not used against Pakistan and Afghan authorities have accepted this responsibility on various occasions,” she added.
On the situation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Baloch said that since 5th August 2019, over 780 Kashmiris have been martyred by Indian occupation forces.
She said India’s unabated repression over the last seven decades has failed to break the will of the Kashmiri people for the right to self-determination.
“Pakistan will continue to support its Kashmiri brethren in their just struggle against Indian oppression till realization of their inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in the UN Security Council resolutions,” she maintained.
To a question, she said Indus Waters Treaty was an important document which had served both Pakistan and India.
She continued that Pakistan was committed to its full implementation and hoped India would remain committed to it.
She said that UN Human Rights Council recently adopted a historic resolution presented by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) which condemned any advocacy of religious hatred including the recent acts of desecration of the Holy Quran in Stockholm.
She continued that Pakistan shared the disappointment of the OIC countries that despite its balanced and apolitical nature, that important resolution was put to vote on fallacious grounds, derailing the council’s consensus.
She said Pakistan believed that Human Rights Council must speak with one voice on the issue of Islamophobia which affected human rights, fundamental freedoms, dignity and identity of over two billion Muslims.
“Pakistan will continue to take the lead in raising global awareness about Islamophobia and xenophobia and fostering interfaith dialogue, harmony and peaceful coexistence,” she added.
Baloch said that Azerbaijan’s Minister for Digital Development and Transport would undertake a three-day visit to Pakistan from Monday next.
She said the visiting minister would meet with Pakistani counterparts in the ministries of information technology, aviation, communications, railways and maritime affairs and explore bilateral cooperation in the areas of connectivity and information technology.
To another question, she said Pakistan believed that Israel’s statement at UN Human Rights Council during Pakistan’s UPR review process was politically motivated.
“It was at variance with the otherwise positive tone of the session. We believe that instead of giving unsolicited advice, Israel should reflect on its own human rights record and its suppression of the Palestinian people in occupied Palestinian territories and do course correction,” she added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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