Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri. Courtesy Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Foreign Office spokesperson urges Afghan officials to avoid ‘blame game’ and use official channels to boost bilateral relations
Pakistan will respond ‘befittingly’ to any Indian aggression with its full military might, Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri reiterated on Thursday.
Addressing a weekly press briefing in Islamabad, he said Pakistan would combat India’s global disinformation campaign with the truth. He said the country would enhance its positive diplomatic outreach to refute India’s negative propaganda.
The spokesperson reiterated that Islamabad had presented a dossier to the international community with “solid and irrefutable” evidence of India abetting and fomenting terrorism in Pakistan. He warned Delhi that Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies were aware of India’s designs and would combat them effectively.
To a question on India joining the U.N. Security Council as a non-permanent member, Chaudhri termed it “ironic” that a country which had persistently and defiantly flouted resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir for over 70 years was now sitting in the same global body. He said India continues to oppose the inalienable right of Kashmiris to self-determination, stressing this had been guaranteed to them under numerous resolutions of the U.N. Security Council.
The Foreign Office spokesperson said India’s bellicose rhetoric and belligerent actions posed a threat to peace and security in the region and beyond. He accused Delhi of continuing to impede access to Kashmir for the Security Council’s mandated U.N. Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan to hide ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and its deliberate targeting of the civilian population.
Chaudhri hoped the “responsible member states of the U.N. Security Council” would keep these “facts” in mind and would not allow India to abuse its position as a non-permanent member of the Council. He vowed that India would not be able to evade accountability for its widespread international law violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and beyond by virtue of its membership of the UNSC.
To a question on intra-Afghan negotiations, the spokesperson said Pakistan is committed to the Afghan Peace Process and would provide all possible assistance to ensure its success. To a related question, he repudiated the “baseless, false and fictitious allegations” made by Afghanistan First Vice President Amrullah Saleh in a Facebook post regarding illegal transfer of explosive material from Pakistan. He said such spurious allegations were a conspicuous effort to undermine the internationally acclaimed role Pakistan continues to play in the peace process to achieve durable peace in Afghanistan.
Chaudhri urged both countries to avoid the “blame game” and use official channels to discuss complete gamut of bilateral relations. He said it is important for both sides to focus on enhancing cooperation and coordination through existing official and institutional channels to address mutual security concerns. He stressed that Pakistan reiterates its abiding commitment for a peaceful, progressive, united, sovereign and democratic Afghanistan.
The spokesperson also extended Pakistan’s felicitations to U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on the certification and confirmation of his win by the U.S. Congress.