Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal on Thursday reiterated that Pakistan had sacrifices the most in the war on terror and there were no safe havens of terrorists and Taliban leadership in Pakistan.

In his weekly press briefing, the FO said that the war on terror cost Pakistan more than 120 billion dollars. He denied the presence of Daesh and Taliban leadership in the country. The recent terrorist attack in Quetta had been traced back to Afghanistan. He said this reinforces Pakistan stance that the terrorist safe havens in Afghanistan were being used for attacks on Pakistani territory.

The Spokesperson said there was concern over the activities of anti-Pakistan terrorists based in Afghanistan. He also refuted speculation regarding presence of any terrorist leadership on Pakistani soil. Faisal said that Pakistan had been facilitating the US-led mission in Afghanistan through air and ground lines of communication for the last sixteen years. He said Pakistan cooperation also helped to secure the region and reduce Al-Qaeda which had also been acknowledged by the US leadership.

He said Pakistan had conveyed to the US that actionable intelligence sharing could help in advancing the shared goals of defeating terror from the region. He said arbitrary deadlines, unilateral pronouncements and shifting goalposts were counterproductive in addressing the common threat.

The Foreign Office Spokesperson also said that Pakistan was in talks with the United States over matters of mutual interest, including security assistance, but it was too soon to reveal more at this point in time. The two countries were in talks over matters of mutual interest, including security assistance, details of which could not be revealed to media just now.

The FO spokesperson shared concern over India’s plan to send satellites into space, allegedly for spying purposes. India intended to send 31 satellites into space on Saturday (January 13), with reports suggesting that the satellites had been fitted with spying devices, he said. India should refrain from military use of space technology and such measures that could disrupt the balance of power in the region, Faisal maintained.

He also condemned the Quetta suicide bombing and the brutal rape and murder of the seven-year-old Zainab in Kasur. The recent terrorist attack in Quetta was traced back to Afghanistan.

He said that this development reinforces Pakistan’s stance regarding safe havens of terrorists in Afghanistan. The spokesperson said that terrorists’ sanctuaries in Afghanistan were being used for attacks on Pakistani territory and added that these attacks must stop. To a question, Dr Muhammad Faisal stated that Pakistan desired dignified and sustainable repatriation of Afghan refugees to their homeland.

The FO spokesperson informed that ambassadors/heads of mission of resident Missions in Islamabad were briefed on Wednesday by the country’s top civilian and military officials on Pakistan’s achievements and challenges in counter-terrorism efforts, and in combating violent extremism.

The ambassadors and heads of missions were also briefed on how “Indian belligerence and unhelpful posturing was distracting Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts and how an active RAW-NDS nexus was verifiably working to undermine Pakistan’s internal stability.

The Spokesperson said that the members of the diplomatic corps were also shown evidence of an Indian campaign of unprecedented ceasefire violations, provocations and insinuations including terrorism in the form of IED attacks against innocent civilians on the Pakistan side of the LoC and the WB, the FO statement had added.

The FO spokesperson also urged the international community to stop the ongoing human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir. Responding to another question, the spokesperson said that Pakistan wanted to resolve all outstanding disputes with India through dialogue adding that the dialogue could only be held if the other side was ready for the same. The spokesperson said that India needed to accept the reality that it could not silence the Kashmiri freedom movement using force.

Published in Daily Times, January 12^th 2018.