ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Wednesday told the National Assembly that Pakistan was committed to pursuing a constructive, sustained and result-oriented process of engagement with India, including on the issue of Kashmir.
In a written reply to a question raised by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Parvez Malik, Khar said that Pakistan continues to support an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process.
“We are also actively engaged in various trilateral and quadrilateral forums exploring ways to bring peace, stability and development in Afghanistan,” she wrote. “As peace and security must be underpinned with economic development, Pakistan has pledged an amount of $330 million for carrying out development and reconstruction work in Afghanistan.”
Regarding the Nato air raid that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in Mohmand Agency, she said: “In the wake of the recent Nato attacks on our border posts, an envoys’ conference was convened on the directives of the prime minister to reassess our foreign policy.”
The recommendations of the conference will be presented before parliament for further deliberation.
“The envoys’ conference reaffirmed that Pakistan’s external relations continue to be based on the principles of respect for sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity in accordance with international law as enshrined in the UN charter,” asserted Khar.
Responding to a question regarding female ambassadors of Pakistan, she said that out of 87 of Pakistan’s missions abroad (ambassador/high commissioner level), 10 were currently being headed by females.
Meanwhile, Railways Minister Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour told the lower house that because of torrential rains and unprecedented floods in 2010, railways’ infrastructure was significantly damaged and the total value of asset damage was estimated at Rs6.4 billion. During the 2011 floods in Sindh, he said, it had suffered a loss of Rs247 million.
Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim told the house that urea fertiliser was not exported during 2010, whereas 600,460 metric tons of urea was imported during 2011.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2011.
COMMENTS (52)
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Why don't all of you get out of the way and let the Kashmiris work something out between them that could be agreeable by all?
UN resolution or not, you can't pretend all's fine in Baluchistan.
@ashok sai: foolish point...India has no borders with Balochistan.And ofcourse India will never involve itself in Balochistan or it may go US ways
The reality about Kashmir is even after hundred years the situation will be the same as it is now. It is foolish to think that through incitements and terrorism if thousands of Kashmiris and Indians can be killed the situation in Kashmir will tilt in Pakistan's favour. What has been achieved by Mumbai massacar of innocent hindus and muslims ? Nothing accept the leaders of the groups are getting large size of their picture printed in Express Tribune. And in USA and Europe innocent Pakistanis are daily abused, harassed, insulted and Islam getting branded as cult of hatered instead of religion of peace. Muslim women cannot were hijab, mosque cannot have minaret so on so...
@Realty: Kashmir belongs to Kashmiri pandits only who are Indians. Muslims in Kashmir are Iranian and Uzbek people, not native kashmiri. They should leave Kashmir ASAP.
@Shah: You know very well that non-Kashmiris are not allowed to buy land in Kashmir. Thank India for maintaining this special status otherwise Kashmiri people would have become a super minority a long time ago.
@Sadia: If Baloch leaders reach out to India for help, we will not remain silent spectators. This is a human rights issue and is not dependent on any UN resolution. Just like we liberated Bangladesh when the pot of cruelty boiled over, the same rule will apply for Balochistan.
@Vasan: liked your analysis, but the fact is that UN RESOLUTION doesn't require all pakistani forces to be withdrawn first..... But only tribals need to be withdrawn first, followed by simulatenous withdrawl of both indian and pakistan regular forces. Read UN resolutions yourself. Since there are no tribals in kashmir, & land is cleared of invaders so condition for plebiscite are good. However it isn't pakistan which is changing the demography of kashmir, but it is india itself... I'm myself from IoK & i was reading a recently released book of political department professor of kashmir university in which he showed that in IOK the demography of the state has been altered. It is been observed that after every census which india carries out here after 10 years "POPULATION OF MUSLIMS IS SHOWN TO BE DECREASED BY 2% AND POPULATION OF HINDUS TO BE INCREASED BY ALMOST THE SAME MARGIN". "INDIAN OCCUPIED KASHMIR IS THE ONLY PLACE IN EARTH WHERE MUSLIM POPULATION IS DECREASING". Btw it was india which also recently tried to pass slum dwellers bill to alter the demography of kashmir, but it was resisted by we kashmiris.
The hard fact is Kashmir is today more peaceful and developing more faster than any part of the Pakistan... Thats the truth.. Everything else makes no sense.
@Hu Jintao: Sir, agree with your views. Unlike Pakistan occupied Kashmir, Indian Kashmir is a given a special status and only Kashmiris are the permanent residents whereas no outsider is allowed to purchase any land/property or reside in the state. Moreover, govt elected by people of Kashmir in fair and free elections is governing the state and presently our Kashmir is more peaceful than any part of Pakistan. Thanks and regards. R S Johar India.
@Sadia: Just few counter arguments
UN has washed its hands off the Kashmir issue ( according to Kofi Annan's statements). The UN mandate requires that pakistan should remove all its forces in the area of kashmir in its control and this includes the portion of kashmir you 'gifted' to the chinese
Just as strongly you feel that this is a UN issue, India too strongly feels that you illegally occupied part of Kashmir in 1948
After one of the countless wars pakistan initiated, pakistan signed a peace agreement with India that it will solve kashmir issue bi-laterally
India probably provides 'only moral and diplomatic support to the freedom fighters of baluchistan' ( couldn't help throwing back one of your pakistan's official statements since the late 80's !!)
@omar, Can you as a pakistani step into Indian kashmir without a visa from India ? .You cant and still you want to talk about Indian kashmir..Similary Indians will talk about Balochistan even though Indians cant enter balochistan without a visa from pakistan. IF you are advocating hands off approach it should work with the above logic as always..
@Realist:
Which show, you haven’t checked anything.
@eyeSeye:
and it has by every international measure and continues disintegrate. Could have said sliding into the Arabian Sea but the sea doesn’t wan’t to swallow, Pakistan gives the sea a very bad taste.
@Dilu:
just like 10% Bengali’s, right?
@Raja: Rofl: read more about Shimla agreement, it explicitly protects the "status & position" of both the countries regarding any dispute. i.e it protects pakistani position to determine solution of kashmir by UN resolutions. Hence it doesn't alter the involvement of UN in kashmir.. :)
@Vasan: But the instrument of accession which Mahraja signed with india was conditional & the condition was india will impose it's defense, forgien affairs, currency only & when normalcy will return to kashmir, right for self determination will be gives to us(remember Nehru's famous sermon at lal chowk srinagar). But india did nothing such, as it had promised. Also instrument of accession has been declared fake now. UN along with other countries of the world doesn't recognise kashmir as part of india but as disputed territory. Noted historians of the world like Alistar Lamb, staenly wolpert & thousands of other kashmiri historians have proved that instrument of accession was never signed, as it defies logic, since a same person can't be at two different places thousands of miles far from eachother, at the same time (google more about it). India neither showed instrument of accession documents to UN nor to pakistan. Lol: in 1995, india even said it lost accession documents. So what accession accession are you crying?
@Hu Jintao , I guess you are dreaming too much to imagine Indian kashmir will be out of Indian control in this century ..
Is Kashmir a disputed territory? Yes, it is. The GOI also acknowledges it and says it is willing to talk to Pakistan on Kashmir. Otherwise it has no reason to do so. Plebicite based on UN resolutions? Pretty much unlikely for two reasons. 1) This non binding resolution also requires Pakistan to move all its army and 'outsiders' from its part of Kashmir as the first prerequisite. 2) The Shimla Agreement after the 1971 war clearly states that both countries will 'resolve' their disputes bilaterally. This is Pakistan's official stand and there is no provision for any UN involvement.
Good that the FM is willing to 'engage'
Hu Jintao : In which world are you in. Read Mengal interview whether there is state violence in Baluchistan or not. Whether Kashmir would have ceded to Pakistan or not is not the issue because by Pak's own action (tribal invasion), Maharaja Harisingh signed the accession of Kashmir to India. It is an open and shut case. As somebody has already said there are many terrorist mobs in India, Disoriented Kashmiris are one of them. We know how to fix it. But not in your way.
@Hu Jintao: When you will start listening to Hoodhbhoy we will start listening to roy. How about that?
Lamo! There are 89 sessionist insurgencies in india. Kashmir along with Assam has noting to do with india. 7 sister north eastern states have vowed for freedom from india. Lamo! Indis rock.
The bharatis aren't concerned about their own bharat. they show more concern in Pakistan's internal concerns.
@Dilu: "no UN resolutions for Balochistan" so wasnt for East P.... err .... Bangladesh...
@R S JOHAR:
Kashmir is not intergral part of india. its a UN disputed territory and rightfuly belongs to Kashmris.
@Raakbas: you bharatis never cease to amaze me. Withdraw from Azad Kashmir? Do you see anyone their revolting against the state's persecution of local people? Do you see any single guy demanding freedom? so cut it.
@ashok sai: There is no state crackdown on Balochistan nor there is army of 700,000 "protecting" citizens. Kashmir is muslim majority state and it should have ceded to Pakistan in 47 if your terrorist occupying wouldn't have jumped in.
Bottomline is Kashmiris don't want to be part of India any whatsoever conditions. Why dont you do a free and fair plebiscite according to UN resolution
Stop defending your mass murdering forces who has 100,000 people's blood and countless rapes on its hands Go read your own Arundhati Roy.
PS: Stop recommending your own comments.
Concerned about Balochistan, last time I read there are about 17 independence movements in India. Seriously you guys love to live in your indian-cuckoo-land where all is so well and there is peace and harmony everywhere. Seriously 'LAUGH OUT LOUD!'
@ashok sai "failed state"..yeah yeah yeah. your forefathers and fore fore fathers also had the same dream. They used to say Pakistan will fail, not exist longer and fall back to them.
Let's start discussing when the Pakistani army is going to withdraw from Azad Kashmir so we can hold the plebiscite. Please retrieve the territory ceded to China. Who is Pakistan to cede territory not its own? Balochistan is not an internal issue. Just as Kashmir is not. Just as Bangladesh was not!
Pakistan needs to be careful as to what it wishes for. You might just get it.
@Realist:
You can check many more times, for UN resolution to carried out it requires the Kasmir in pre-partition state, so, go and ask your all weather friend to give back the land you have gifted !!!
@Sadia:
You are welcomed to try your hand, before that remember your previous tries and also you are one amongst the failed states index list.
@ashok sai:
Last time I checked there is a UN resolution regarding Kashmir but none regarding Baluchistan. Good effort but try harder next time.
sorry sweetie. MFN first.
@ashok sai: There are no UN resolutions for Balochistan. Balochies following indian agenda are not more than 10%. A large number of pashtuns are also living in Balochistan since centuries and they love Pakistan more than any one in this world. I hope only few ppl think like you in India.
@ashok sai: Kashmir is a disputed territory according to UN resolutions. thats why it demands dialog between the two countries. Baluchistan is internal issue of Pakistan. keep urself out of it. or allow Pakistan to step into the independence movements in many states of India.
This is such a Pakistani biased site. $330 Millions to the Afghans? That has no source.
We have seriously put this issue on side since 9/11.
U have tried all other options which failed miserably... lets try engaging too which ever way u wish to ... Indians are always ready to respond...overwhelmingly ...
India was committed to pursuing a constructive, sustained and result-oriented process of engagement with Pakistan, including on the issue of Balochistan.