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Spokesman claims Islamabad wants balanced and broad-based relations with all countries
Pakistan on Friday said it was “inappropriate” for European envoys to the country to issue a joint statement urging Islamabad to support a U.N. resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Describing the statement as against diplomatic norms, Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar told a weekly press briefing that the embassies of European countries should have avoided issuing the statement. “This attitude is unacceptable and Pakistan has conveyed its concern to the embassies,” he said, adding that Islamabad wanted balanced and broad-based relations with all countries, including the United States and the European Union.
The statement should not have been shared publicly on social media, claimed the spokesperson. “Our ambassadors also use Twitter abroad, but I think we use that in a responsible manner and the important thing is that there are always certain diplomatic norms and protocols that we understand are to be followed. It is not usual diplomatic practice to say such things through the media, and we have made that clear,” he added.
To a question, he claimed Pakistan pursued a clear-minded and well-thought-out foreign policy.
Earlier this week, the envoys of 22 countries, including E.U. member states and Australia and Canada, had jointly called on Pakistan to support a resolution in the UNGA to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “As heads of mission to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, we urge Pakistan to join us in condemning Russia’s actions,” it said, leading many to believe Pakistan’s tilt toward Russia was already proving damaging to its ties with Western states, which continue to comprise the bulk of the country’s trading activity.
Responding to another question during the briefing, he said Pakistan also wanted cordial relations with all its neighbors, including India. “It is India’s hostile behavior that has brought us to a situation where talks have been suspended. India is also involved in gross human rights violations in [India-held Kashmir]. The acts are serious violations which are impeding normalization of ties with India,” he said.
Iftikhar alleged India was also involved in subversive activities and terrorism in Pakistan, adding that the arrest of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav had exposed Delhi’s terrorist activities in Pakistan and the wider region. “Pakistan is committed to confronting this policy of India, which is employing terrorism as an instrument of state policy and we are determined to fight it till the very end,” he said.