ISLAMABAD: The Ministry for Foreign Affairs confirmed on Thursday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will be attending the inaugural session of the Board of Peace (BoP) in Washington on February 19, while other members of the delegations have not been finalised as yet.
Spokesperson at the Foreign Office, Tahir Andrabi, while addressing the weekly media briefing was asked whether Field Marshal Asim Munir will also be joining the delegation, and whether the prime minister is scheduled to meet President Trump on the sidelines of the inauguration.
“As regards the other members of delegation and on engagements of the delegation in the US, we will inform you in due course of time. I do not have the details – neither on the itinerary, nor on the composition of delegation,” he said.
When asked about the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu, who on Wednesday formally joined the (BoP) on Wednesday in Washington before his meeting with President Trump, he said, “Look, it is their decision. We are not obliged to offering any comment. We will engage with the Board of Peace with the positivity of intent and as I said, our prime minister will attend the BoP meeting.”
The spokesperson avoided a direct response when asked what sort of a BoP this was which had been set up for the reconstruction of Gaza but ironically there was no representation from Gaza, with President Trump supporting Israel which was violating the ceasefire and other agreements and whether this BoP was reliable enough for the people of Gaza.
“We have joined the BoP in good faith, as I highlighted in my previous briefing. We are in it not in isolation, not as one voice, but as collective voice of eight Islamic-Arab countries. Our engagement is both for short term, medium term and long-term solution of the plight of the Palestinian people,” he explained.
When asked whether the prime minister will skip his visit to Munich, the spokesperson responded, “We never confirmed any visit to Munich, so the question of it being intact or not intact does not arise.”
Commenting on the recent decision by Pakistan to play against the Indian team in Colombo, the spokesperson explained, “Cricket is a game that we all love and we all cherish. We grew up playing this game. Weaponization of cricket, politicisation of cricket is regrettable. The decision of the government not to play against India reflected the resolve of the government of Pakistan not to let cricket be weaponised and politicised. Our subsequent decision to play reflected our magnanimity, after the relevant cricket authorities realised that they had weaponised and politicised cricket, particularly weaponised against Bangladesh,” he said.
In this regard, he further explained that the Bangladesh side and Sri Lankan side (host of this game) were in touch with Pakistan and its Cricket Board, so the decision to play the game, is reflective of the magnanimity shown by the prime minister.
To queries on India skipping the court of arbitration in The Hague, the spokesperson explained that the proceedings of the Court of Arbitration were held at The Hague, on 2nd to 3rd February. During these proceedings, Pakistan requested the court to address the interpretation and application of the Indus Water Treaty with respect to certain design elements on the runoff river hydroelectric projects that fall within the limited allowances provided to India.
“India was invited by the Court of Arbitration to participate in the proceedings under the Indus Water Treaty. It was obliged to do so, and it chose not to appear. You must have seen the press release issued by the court, and we remain engaged with the process,” he said.
Also on the Svalkot project on the River Chenab, the matter has been taken up at the level of Indus Water Commissioners. “We are fully committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes and issues with India through dialogue and international legal mechanisms. We wish to reiterate that we will never compromise on our existential water rights of our people,” he said.
To a statement of the Defence Minister who stated that Pakistan can strike inside Afghanistan before the month of Ramazan, the spokesperson pointed out that the statement is reflective of a deep disappointment in Pakistan that Afghan authorities have not taken any action against the terrorists operating on its soil against Pakistan. “So in term of the context of this statement, the views of the Honorable defence minister are fully comprehensible. Diplomacy continues even in wars. Diplomacy continues even during skirmishes. So we would not shut the door of diplomacy, as much as we would not want to open the door of wars between our two brotherly countries. We wish peace and prosperity to our Afghan brothers and sisters. But we do not want their territory to be used against Pakistan,” he said.
Commenting on the UNSC “1267 Sanctions Committee Report”, which was published on the 4th of February, Pakistan believes that it extensively supports Pakistan’s narrative on TTP and Afghanistan. “According to the report, TTP has accorded greater operational liberty and support to the de facto authorities, consequently attacking the territory inside Pakistan. The report also, I believe, refers to al-Qaeda, which continues to enjoy a straight patronage. The report says that al-Qaeda acts as a multiplier and service provider to other armed terrorist groups in Afghanistan in terms of training and advice, particularly TTP,” he pointed out.
Al-Qaeda is active in southeastern Afghanistan as report said and TTP operates as one of the largest terrorist groups in Afghanistan. This is also mentioned in the reports and concern raised by several member states on deepening cooperation between al-Qaeda aligned groups and TTP. They are also mentioned in the context of targets resulting in extra regional threats, not just to Pakistan, but to the other Afghan neighbours.
“TTP suffered operational setbacks the report mentions, and another important aspect is the ISILK is also active in northern Afghanistan, according to the report. There is a reference to collaboration between the BLA/Fitnah al-Hind, TTP and ISKP through a shared training camps and resources, coordinated attack and meeting between the commanders. So, if we sum up all this, the report corroborates Pakistan’s position that TTP resurgence is linked to post 2021, interim Afghan government takeover,” he said.
Responding to reaction from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs after the deadly blast in an Imambargah in Islamabad, he said that Pakistan has noted Indian MEA statements on the Islamabad blast and the previous statement on terrorist attacks in Balochistan. “These statements reflect an undertone of justification of terrorism on one pretext or another. Such justification is written all over the Indian statements. It goes against the Indian stated position that they oppose terrorism in all forms. We conclude from these statements that India may oppose terrorism in all its form, but it supports terrorism taking place against Pakistan. This exception is written large on India’s statements,” he said.
Pakistan, upon seeing the US Trade Representative issuing a map showing Azad Kashmir and Indian Held Kashmir as Indian territories, took up the matter with the US authorities and they realised that this map was illegal and took it down immediately.
As President Trump continues to give statements about the number of aircraft shot down last May during the Pak-India conflict with his latest statement saying 10 planes were brought down, the spokesperson did not contest Trump’s number but instead responded, “On President Trump’s statement, we have stated it previously, and I wish to reiterate it here that Pakistan is appreciative of the role of the United States during our 90-hour war with India. The role of the United States was for peace, for prevention of war and prevention of violence,” he replied. Pakistan welcomes President Trump’s statements, including his previous statements, and these statements are all obviously welcomed and endorsed.
“As regards the fighter planes: this is a matter of history. Pakistan shot down a number of Indian Rafale jets, and the evidence is all over – available internationally, corroborated by international reports, including by the manufacturers of these planes. This demonstrated that Pakistan was able to deter Indian aggression through conventional means. This is also an indicator for the future – any future Indian aggression would be dealt forthrightly and forcefully with all our resources,” warned the spokesperson.
