- Says Pakistan to support Saudi-led military alliance while maintaining close contact with Iran
ISLAMABAD, November 30: : Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal remarked that Indian occupation forces are terrorising people in Indian occupied Kashmir, during the weekly briefing of the foreign office on Thursday.
“The Indian occupation forces in Kupwara, Bandipore, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam, Islamabad and Kupwara districts continue to terrorise the innocent Kashmiri people inter alia by illegal house searches at all times,” said the spokesperson, adding “Pakistan condemns and calls upon the world human rights defenders to stand up for Kashmiris in IOK.”
He further said that Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif has expressed deep anguish at the gross violations of human rights in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir, which continue unabated.
“India continues with its malicious attempts to mislead the global community by seeking to portray the legitimate and indigenous struggle of the Kashmiri people as ‘terrorism’.”
The Foreign Minister condemned in the strongest possible terms the repeated arrests and incarceration of the top Kashmiri leaders, who have remained in the vanguard of the Jammu and Kashmiri struggle for the realisation of the legitimate right to self-determination.
The attack on Kashmiri political detainees, including Syed Shahid Yusuf, Ahtisham, Shazad Ahmed and over a dozen other political prisoners was carried out by the jail administration and Tamil Nadu Police deputed in India’s infamous Tihar jail Dehli, he said.
“The incident is completely unjustifiable, extremely serious. The ghastly act has endangered the lives of all Kashmiri political prisoners.”
He also shared that Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is visiting Russia (Sochi) to participate in the 16th Meeting of the Council of the Heads of Government (CHG) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), on the invitation of Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, DA Medvedev.
Moreover, the 7th Ministerial Conference of Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process is being held in Baku, Azerbaijan on 30 November – 01 December 2017. Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif is leading the Pakistan delegation to participate in the Conference, he added.
Condemning the terrorist attack in Egypt, he said: “The Government of Pakistan condemns in the strongest terms the heinous terrorist attack against innocent worshippers at Al Rawdah mosque in the North Sinai region of Egypt, leading to 305 reported deaths and 127 injured.
The people of Pakistan are deeply grieved at this senseless and barbaric act and stand in full solidarity with their Egyptian brethren in this moment of anguish and tragedy,” Faisal added.
Pakistan highlighted its “successful counter-terrorism operations and the comprehensive National Action Plan” during the first meeting of the defence ministers of countries involved in the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC) held last Sunday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal said in his weekly briefing on Thursday.
“The participants discussed ways to boost cooperation for combating terrorism through intelligence sharing, capacity building, joint exercises and media campaign,” the FO said regarding the agenda of the Saudi-led Islamic military coalition.
Dr Faisal said Pakistan had expressed its willingness to share its intellectual, informational, counter-financing and military experience and capabilities through the forum of the IMCTC, a move “aimed at enhancing the ability of its member states to counter the scourge of terrorism and extremism.”
On a question on whether Iran objected to Pakistan’s involvement in the alliance, he said Pakistan remains in close contact with the Iranian leadership at all levels, recalling that the latest contact between the two nations had come when Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa visited Iran for detailed consultations earlier this month.-Agencies
