Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) announcement of boycotting the address of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the joint sitting of parliament is regrettable, Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said on Tuesday.

He was talking to the media after a seminar on FATA reforms on Tuesday. He said that the Turkish president’s visit would not have any impact on the Pak-Turk schools, and they would continue to operate. He said that Pakistan was ready to work with US president-elect Donald Trump, and added that he would also be reminded about his offer to mediate between Pakistan and India on the Kashmir dispute. Talking about the situation at the Line of Control (LoC) and the Working Boundary (WB), Sartaj Aziz expressed grave concern over the increased frequency and duration of indiscriminate firing and shelling from the Indian side. He said that India was deliberately targeting villages and civilians, including women and children, in complete violation of the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding. Earlier, addressing the participants of the seminar, Sartaj Aziz said that FATA reforms would not only transform the social, economic and political fabric of the area but also be helpful in securing Pakistan. He said these reforms aimed at consolidating and mainstreaming a historic buffer-zone area into the national mainstream.

He said that FATA reforms were essential to defeat terrorism that arose in regions where the writ of the state was weak. He said that a transition period of five years would be required for integration of FATA into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said that return and rehabilitation of temporary displaced persons (TDPs) and construction of infrastructure, houses and shops were on the highest priority to allow social life to restart.