Daily Times

Pakistan on Thursday rejected holding peace talks with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan due to its involvement in killing civilians and security personnel in the country.

“Pakistan will not negotiate with individuals who are responsible for the killing of Pakistani civilians and law enforcement officials,” the Foreign Office spokesperson said at a weekly press briefing, referring to an earlier statement of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch was responding to queries regarding the statement of the spokesman for Afghanistan’s Taliban government, Zabihullah Mujahid who offered mediation between the Pakistan government and TTP. On the life loss of Pakistanis in the capsized boat off the coast of Greece, she said 12 Pakistani nationals were among the 104 survivors, who were in good physical condition. The spokesperson said the Greek authorities had recovered 84 bodies, however, the number and identification of Pakistani nationals among the deceased and missing was unconfirmed at the moment. Relevant authorities have started collecting DNA samples from the families of those suspected to be on board. She said Pakistan’s ambassador Aamar Aftab and his team at the mission in Greece were working round the clock for the recovery and identification of Pakistani nationals.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has spoken to his Greek counterpart to discuss arrangements for the recovery of the missing, identification of the bodies, and providing relief to the survivors, she added. The FO spokesperson said FM Bilawal Bhutto would undertake a two-days official visit to Japan from July 2 at the invitation of the Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi. In Tokyo, the foreign minister will hold substantive talks with his counterpart and discuss bilateral trade and investment, cooperation in science and technology, education, information technology, culture, and human resource development. The two sides will also discuss important regional and global developments and cooperation and dialogue in multilateral forums.

The spokesperson announced that Pakistan and Kazakhstan would hold the second round of Bilateral Political Consultations on June 26 in Astana, Kazakhstan. Additional Foreign Secretary (Afghanistan & West Asia) Ambassador Syed Ahsan Raza Shah will lead the Pakistan delegation while the Kazakh side will be led by Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Kanat Tumyst.

The two sides will review the entire spectrum of bilateral relations in political, trade, economic, connectivity, science and technology, and cultural and people-to-people relations.

The FO spokesperson said thousands of people in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) were spending a homeless life and were unable to return to their homeland. “India must bring an end to the climate of fear and persecution in IIOJK and bring peace in the lives of the Kashmiri people,” she said.

The spokesperson said Pakistan would continue to extend political, diplomatic, and moral support to our Kashmiri brothers and sisters for the just and peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions.

The inaugural session of the Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC) between Pakistan and Kazakhstan was held on February 28, 2020, in Islamabad.