ISLAMABAD: The United States and Iran have agreed to continue indirect negotiations on the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), following positive progress made during mediator-facilitated talks in Doha, the Foreign Office said on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is leaving today (Friday) for Iran at the head of a delegation along with cabinet ministers and senior officials to participate in the funeral ceremony of Late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. “The prime minister will convey condolences on behalf of the people and Government of Pakistan to the Iranian leadership and the bereaved families, while reaffirming solidarity with the brotherly nation in this hour of profound grief,” announced Tahir Andrabi, Spokesperson at the Foreign Office, during the weekly media briefing.
Later, the prime minister will leave for Turkiye and together with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hold discussions on the entire gamut of bilateral relations with a special focus on giving impetus to bilateral trade and investment cooperation between the two brotherly countries. The leadership meeting will also reflect on issues concerning regional peace and security, with the prime minister also addressing a business conference being hosted by Islamabad to spotlight Pakistan’s trade and investment potential in priority areas, including SEZs, energy, IT and privatisation sectors.
Commenting of the recent meeting in Qatar in which indirect talks between Iran and the US were held with the mediators Pakistan and Qatar, the spokesperson said that Pakistan and Qatar engaged with the relevant parties in Doha on Wednesday and held separate meetings with the US and Iranian negotiators. “There was positive progress made on issues related to the aspects of the Islamabad MoU, building on the Lake Lucerne Summit, parties have agreed to continue discussions over the coming period, and next meeting to be set at the earliest possible time following the funeral processions of the former Iranian supreme leader. Pakistan will continue to play a facilitative and mediatory role in the negotiation process,” said the spokesperson. He did not rule out the possibility of future meetings in Islamabad. “We would, of course, welcome such meeting. I have no information about anything on Islamabad being the venue,” he added.
Thursday also saw Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar speak to his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud where both expressed satisfaction on the positive progress made during this negotiation and hoped that the discussions would continue in the near future.
To a volley of questions on the Indus Waters Treaty, the spokesperson said that Pakistan rejected India’s attempt to invoke baseless allegations of terrorism as a pretext for placing the treaty in abeyance and obstructing the lawful flow of Pakistan’s share of the Indus waters. “About converting Pakistan into a barren land, no country can do that. No, not India, not any other country has power to do that. I do not think we should talk in the sense of barrening Pakistan. Mash Allah, we are strong enough to prevent any catastrophe of this nature to happen,” he responded.
Explaining the involvement of China in the distribution of water, he said the river water systems that emerge in the Himalayan region are the bounties of the nature. “Himalayan river water systems feed so many countries –from Indus to Mekong and many Chinese rivers also emerge from there. This Himalayan Watershed is a shared heritage of mankind. With respect to broader water issues of this region, China’s engagement will always be positive – because it is a stakeholder, not just with respect to the rivers that flow into South Asia, into India and Pakistan, but also with respect to mighty river systems that flows from Himalayas ice caps into China; not just China but also Far East to Southeast Asian countries as well – Mekong, for example originating on top of Eastern Himalayas,” he said.
The spokesperson clarified that there is no discrepancy in the list about the 753 Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails as the ministry, missions in New Delhi document all reported cases of Pakistani nationals detained in India.
Regarding Indian comments on a Pakistani Gurudwara in Farooqabad, the spokesperson clarified that it was not being used for worship as there was no Sikh community in the area. “The structure was old, in a dilapidated condition, and pose the potential risk to human life and surrounding private properties in the vicinity of that building. The tenants feared that the building might collapse in the upcoming rainy season,” he said. The Evacuee Property Trust Board has cancelled the tenancy and the lease and the tenants were directed to vacate the building.
About Pakistani crew members being held hostage by Somali pirates, the spokesperson said: “The Government of Pakistan is making every effort to ensure that Pakistan seafarers remain safe and in good health with uninterrupted access to essential food, water and medicine,” he added. He added the authorities in Karachi are also in touch with their families to offer all possible support that they can.
To a query the spokesperson said Pakistan would welcome US engagement on issues of peace and security in South Asia. “The important point is that Pakistan has very strong legal and political standing on every issue with respect to India. On every issue between Pakistan and India, our position is in compliance of the tenets of international law and the provisions of the UN Charter. So, we are confident. We are confident that if any country wishes to engage both India and Pakistan, with a view to helping with the peace and security issues, Pakistan can join. We do not have any skeleton to hide,” he said.
The spokesperson did not agree with reports about curbs on religious practices in the UAE. “I am not aware of any curbs on religious practices. Certainly, there are brothers and sisters from Ahle Tashi/Fiqah-e-Jafriya in those countries from several countries (other than Pakistan). I have not seen any such complaint from them too,” he said.
Responding to recent audit reports which also lists the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as found with financial irregularities, the spokesperson said, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs remains committed to implementing and checking all audit observations. These, in most of these cases are administrative issues and not improper expenditures. Many cases are on account of lack of proper filling or incomplete documentation. Exchequer will be accounted for.”
