ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Thursday welcomed a five-point joint declaration from Kabul, banning any military operations beyond the Afghan borders, but insisted on a full written assurance from the neighbouring country.
“If the leadership of the Afghan Taliban regime or certain segments of the Afghan society realise the gravity of the matter that their soil is being used not just by TTP/FAK/FAH but also by their own nationals to perpetrate terrorism in Pakistan, such realisation is positive. We welcome it. We will wait, see and evaluate this document. But certainly, we would require written assurances from the leadership of the Afghan Taliban regime on this issue,” said the Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi.
He was responding to questions at the weekly media briefing on a five-point joint declaration adopted by over 1,000 Afghan scholars in Kabul. The declaration stated that whoever would “conduct military operations beyond Afghanistan’s borders, would be considered a rebel against the state.” It would also be considered “as a violation of the Emir’s orders” and would be a punishable offence.
Surprisingly, the spokesperson admitted that he had not seen the full text of the resolution, but made it clear that one important aspect was that the commitments made in the past by the Afghan Taliban regime had not been fulfilled and this was exactly why during the mediation efforts of the brotherly countries, Pakistan insisted on written assurances from the Afghan side.
Explaining the state of a “ceasefire” between the two countries even though attacks by the TTP continue and recently heavy arms were also used by the Afghan Taliban on the Pak-Afghan border in Chaman, the spokesperson clarified, “As I have stated before, this ceasefire is not a traditional ceasefire that takes place between the two states. We gave a detailed response on this in the briefing two weeks ago. The ceasefire is violated when terrorist attacks continue from Afghanistan, the onus of which lies on Afghanistan. There is no material change in the last two weeks whereby I can say that the situation with regard to ceasefire has improved. In fact, it may have deteriorated over time”.
With UN essential humanitarian aid in limbo as the Taliban regime refuses to open its borders to allow this emergency aid to be brought in by trucks parked at the border, the spokesperson clarified that Pakistan was willing to provide humanitarian assistance, primarily as part of its affinity and its care for the brotherly people of Afghanistan to whom Pakistan intended no harm.
“From our end, the aid convoy has been cleared for movement. In fact, we have also demonstrated our willingness to provide a seamless movement of humanitarian assistance. Whether the Afghan Taliban regime wishes to receive this humanitarian assistance or not, is up to them. It would be quite an unprecedented event in the international annals that a state, which is in need of humanitarian assistance, is refusing it,” Andrabi said.
To a query about the defence cooperation between Israel and India, the spokesperson responded, “Whether Israeli drones and other equipment were handed over by India to Afghanistan, particularly the terrorist elements there, is a matter of investigation. Considering there is an active support to TTP/FAK/FAH by India, such transfer of weapons cannot be ruled out”.
The spokesperson did not feel perturbed over dozens of American lawmakers writing a letter, expressing concern over the situation of human rights in Pakistan and urging for formation of a policy with regard to the protection of human rights. “You are referring to this certain letter by the members of the US legislature. These developments have taken place in the past as well. Our embassy in Washington and our ambassador are seized of this matter. He has met over 100 US senators, Congresspersons over the past year and a half. So, we have an open dialogue and communication with the US legislature, and in that context, the position of Pakistan, with respect to its own domestic laws, is fully explained. This particular letter you referred to, is being followed up in the same vein,” he said.
Turning to the Indian MEA’s statements on the state of democracy in Pakistan, the spokesperson was of the view that India’s own sources had criticised their democracy, their democratic system, the level of parliamentarians that are elected to the Indian legislatures, the electoral malpractices, and so on and so forth. “So, this is a never-ending debate, which I do not wish to prolong further,” he said.
In a first official response to the US $686 million package for upgradation of Pakistan’s F-16 fleet, the spokesperson said this was part of regular defence cooperation between the two governments which had been welcomed and Pakistan continued to look forward to expanding its multifaceted ties with the US.
Commenting on the situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK), he pointed out hundreds, if not thousands, of Kashmiris facing arbitrary arrests and prolonged detentions. He said the defence cooperation with Indonesia comprised a variety of sectors, including cooperation in particular equipment, training and joint exercises.
Giving his views on reports about Pakistan, China and Bangladesh setting up an alternative to Saarc, he said Pakistan supported multilateralism and was unwaveringly committed to it. Pakistan welcomes any initiative that aims to strengthen development, prosperity and regional connectivity in South Asia and beyond, he said.
The spokesperson clarified that there was no formal extradition treaty between Pakistan and the UK, and in its absence, the extradition cases could be processed on case-to-case basis. Some of these cases, were submitted to the British High Commission in Islamabad for their consideration.
When asked for comments on Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir’s statement that India supported terrorism in Pakistan, the spokesperson said India’s support for terrorism in Pakistan was significant. Pakistan has documented evidence on India’s support to terrorism in Pakistan, which has also been shared with international organizations and individual countries. Kulbhushan Jadhav is a living example of this support. The other tangible examples of Indian involvement are Jaffar Express and bombing elsewhere in Balochistan.
Responding to the media queries about the demarche made to the Norwegian ambassador to Pakistan over his attendance at a court case in Islamabad, Andrabi said the ambassador was Thursday summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding his unwarranted attendance at a court proceeding in Islamabad, which constituted a breach of diplomatic protocol and relevant international law. Noting that his actions amount to interference in the internal affairs of the country, the ambassador was urged to adhere to the established norms of diplomatic engagement, as outlined in the relevant articles of the Vienna Convention.
According to Geo News, the Norwegian envoy was reported to have attended a Supreme Court hearing in the case concerning lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, over their controversial tweets.
