Strategic location: FO quashes claims of Pakistan’s isolation

Says more countries are engaging with Islamabad than ever before

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has dismissed the perception that it is facing international isolation due to efforts by the arch rival India, which has been pursuing an aggressive anti-Pakistan campaign in the wake of the protests that erupted in Indian occupied Kashmir (IOK) after killing of a separatist leader on July 8.

“Pakistan is very much engaged in the world affairs. More and more countries are engaging with Pakistan. [Its] strategic location is of immense importance,” said Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria on Friday.

“A number of multilateral events and high level visits are taking place in and out of Pakistan. Wherever our leadership goes they are very well received,” he added, while responding to a question about Indian efforts to isolate Pakistan during a weekly news briefing.

The spokesperson gave examples of recent joint exercises of Russian soldiers and Iranian Navy with Pakistani forces and said it was wrong to say that someone could isolate Pakistan by mere propaganda.



Asked to comment on the recent remarks by Senator Mushahid Hussain that Pakistan was exploring options to seek larger South Asian Association of Regional Corporation (Saarc), Zakaria said Pakistan is uniquely placed to become a natural connectivity hub for economic activities and energy corridor.

On rising Pakistan-India tensions in the wake of September 18 militant attack on an Indian military base in the IOK and the Indian claims of surgical strikes inside Pakistan, Zakaria said India was desperate to divert attention of the international community from grave human rights violations in Kashmir.

Zakaria said Indian media was also exposed as its ‘trail of lies’ had been compiled and made public by the Pakistani media. “We deeply appreciate the role played by our media, both in exposing the Indian media and highlighting the Kashmiris’ plight in the IOK.”

He said contrary to its allegations, it was India which indulged in state terrorism. “It is India that indulges in state terrorism in the IOK with its 700,000 occupation forces terrorising Kashmiris and committing crimes against humanity with impunity,” he said. He said as compared to baseless Indian accusations, Pakistan had solid proofs of Indian involvement in perpetrating and financing terrorism in Pakistan.

The spokesperson said Pakistan’s nuclear deterrence was in reaction to the Indian aggressive designs against its territorial integrity and sovereignty. “While India’s aggressive policies and massive arms build-up are destabilising factors, Pakistan’s policies ensure regional and global peace and stability,” he said. Regarding a question on 2007 Samjhauta Express incident, Zakaria said despite India’s commitment at the highest political level, they had not shared any evidence to date on the incident.

“As the time passes by, they have even exonerating those who publicly confessed of their involvement in the terrorist attack on Samjhauta Express,” he said. He said the world knew that perpetrators of Samjhauta Express terrorist attack, which killed mostly Pakistanis, was carried out by the RSS and Abhinav Bharat’s operatives.

“Pakistan has and will continue to raise the issue of Samjhauta Express terrorist attack not only bilaterally with India, but also in our bilateral interactions with other countries.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2016.