Daily Times

Foreign Office Spokesperson Ms Aisha Farooqui on Tuesday said the August 5 illegal act of annexation of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K) and the recent spate of violence against Muslims by extremist Hindus had exposed the real fascist face of India.

The Foreign Office spokesperson, while referring to the reaction of global community on India’s unilateral act of revoking the special status of occupied Jammu and Kashmir and gross human rights violations, said the world had not bought the stance of the Narendra Modi government that it was its internal matter.

The Kashmir issue, she said, was now being taken up for debate in the parliaments of various countries, including the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Sweden etc. “The world’s top newspapers and news channels were daily running news stories and visuals of the happenings in the Incredible India.”

The spokesperson mentioned the recent visits of the United Nations Secretary General and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Special Envoy to Pakistan and said they acknowledged not only Pakistan’s desire and efforts for peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute but also underscored that it was not an internal issue of India.

She pointed out the “Indian brutalities against Muslims in New Delhi which caused 50 deaths and injuries to over 100? and said Pakistan’s desire for peace, on the contrary, was in contrast to the acts of the Indian government.

Speaking here at APP Web TV’s Celebrity Hour, she said the IOJ&K over the past 220 days was in a virtual lockdown while the Indian forces were engaged in committing severe human rights violations and brutalities against the innocent Kashmiris.

She said it was also for the first time that huge demonstrations had been held in different world capitals and cities to condemn the Indian brutalities against the Muslims.

Around 80 US Congressmen, she said, participated in the debate on Kashmir, while a series of debates were going on in the British Parliament. After a gap of 55 years, three debates had been held by the UN Security Council on Jammu and Kashmir, along with an emergency session of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu & Kashmir.

She said the OIC IPHRC (Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission) delivered a strong statement condemning Indian atrocities in the IOJ&K.

The Foreign Office Spokesperson said the Modi-led government in India was pursuing a fascist RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) ideology and “Hindutva” agenda, and had been engaged in anti-Pakistan propaganda at world forums, including the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

However, owing to effective measures taken by the Government of Pakistan, the Indian lobby failed to get Pakistan’s name into the FATF’s black list.

She said Pakistan over the past one and a half years attained new vigour, energy and dynamism in its relations with various important countries.

Responding to a question about the reasons behind the positive change in the stance by Gulf countries vis-a-vis Pakistan, she attributed it to the personality of Prime Minister Imran Khan, and said, “He has been known to the world for a long time and carries a certain charisma, which goes well with many a world leaders.”

Ms Farooqui said Pakistan had been striving for peace in Afghanistan over the last four decades, and wanted the resolution of issues through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process. The opening up of the country’s borders for four million Afghan refugees was in line with the Islamic traditions and values.

She expressed the hope that after the February 29 Doha Peace Agreement signed between the United States and the Taliban as well as the inauguration of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, the intra-Afghan dialogue would lead to the goal of peace in Afghanistan.

She said it was satisfactory to note that Pakistan’s role of a facilitator in the Afghan peace process was acknowledged globally as it believed that “an inclusive peace and reconciliation involving all segments of the Afghan society is the only way forward.”

The spokesperson, when asked about the recent terrorist attacks in Afghanistan following the peace deal and claimed by the IS (Daesh), said all sides needed to be wary of the greatest challenge of “spoilers”, who were bent upon thwarting the peace process in that country. She was optimist for progress in prisoners swap between the Afghan government and the Taliban soon.

She said it was the responsibility of Afghan representatives to come to the table for intra-Afghan dialogue. Pakistan’s position had been acknowledged globally as a “bridge builder and peace maker” as it had made sincere efforts to maintain regional peace and stability.

Referring to the focus on building economic and investment relations with the Gulf and Middle East countries, she mentioned some of the achievements, including US $ 20 billion investment in Pakistan by Saudi Arabia, long-term Strategic Economic Partnership with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), strengthening of Pakistan-Turkey -Malaysia trilateral engagement while boosting manpower export to Qatar by 100,000.

About ‘Engage Africa’ vision, Ms Farooqui said it was aimed at further promoting Pakistan’s trade and economic relations with the African countries. Pakistan, despite good political and diplomatic ties with the African countries, had little trade and wanted to reap its due share from the annual US $ 5 trillion trade in the region.

She said the Pakistan Trade Conference in Nairobi in January, which was inaugurated by the Kenyan president, was a step forward in that direction. The conference, which was attended by over 100 Pakistan companies, was also addressed by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Advisor on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood, she added.

Ms Farooqui said to further strengthen Pakistan’s trade and economic relations with African countries the number of Pakistan missions in Africa was being raised from the current 15 to 21.

Referring to the Pakistani students in Hubei province of China, she said they were being taken good care of by the Chinese government. The Foreign Office had deputed two of its officers, who personally met them and said they were in good health. She denied social media reports that a Pakistani PhD student had died because of novel coronavirus.

She said extensive arrangements had been made to facilitate the Pakistani Zaireen (pilgrims) from Iran at the Taftan border, where they were being quarantined to ensure safety and protection of all.

To a question about Pakistan’s foreign policy, she said its basic fundamentals were inspired from the Quaid-e-Azam’s guiding quotes of “peace within and without” as well as the principles of honesty, fair-play and international cooperation.

Pakistan’s foreign policy was driven by Article 40 of its Constitution, the vision of government and leadership and the voice of the parliament, the spokesperson added.