Aziz dismisses talk of Pakistan’s global isolation

No backing down on Kashmir stance, says PM’s aide

ISLAMABAD: Amid growing calls for a rethink of an India-centric foreign policy following recent geo-strategic developments, Pakistan’s top foreign policy wizard has sought to quash the impression that his country is internationally isolated.

“Pakistan is pursuing an active foreign policy for promoting and protecting its national interests in the changing geo-strategic situation in the region,” said Sartaj Aziz, the prime minister’s foreign policy adviser, while briefing editors and anchorpersons on the entire gamut of foreign policy and Pakistan’s strategy to address emerging challenges in terms of its relations to its neighbours and other countries of the world.



Flanked by Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid, Premier’s Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi and Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, Aziz dwelt at length on Afghanistan, Pakistan’s relations with India, the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Gulf Cooperation Council and listed achievements of a ‘successful foreign policy of the government’.

About Afghanistan, he said, Pakistan has already reviewed its policy. “Now we are following a policy of non-interference. We have no favourites among Afghan groups,” Aziz said. However, he added that the quartet-backed Afghan peace process stalled following the killing of Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansoor in a US drone strike in Balochistan was deadlocked. “It’ll take time to restart.”

Aziz said dialogue and only dialogue would achieve what 15 years of war could not. The Afghan Taliban who might not be able to capture Kabul but the group has the ability to continue fighting, he added. “If they start gaining ground they will not talk but if they fail they will come to the negotiating table.”



However, he made it clear it was not in the hands of Pakistan to bring all Afghan Taliban groups to the negotiating table. Still he said Islamabad was ready to facilitate a dialogue process for achieving lasting peace in Afghanistan. Pakistan had some influence over the Taliban, but since Operation Zarb-e Azb, the Taliban had mostly shifted to Afghanistan and most of their fighting capability was now inside Afghanistan, he added.



Asked about recent skirmishes between the border guards of Pakistan and Afghanistan at Torkham, Aziz said his country has the right to build a gate inside its border and no one was being allowed to cross into Pakistan without valid documents since June 1, 2016.

He said that after talks with his Afghan counterpart on the sidelines of the recently concluded Shanghai Cooperation

Organisation (SCO), a high level mechanism had been agreed upon between the two sides under which the directors general of both the countries would decide where to build gates for better management of the border between the two sides. “This arrangement will help avoid untoward incidents in future.”

Speaking about Pakistan’s relations with India, Aziz said Pakistan wanted to have peaceful relations with India but it would not back down from its principled stance over Kashmir. “If there has to be an improvement in relations between the two countries, there has to be a dialogue on all issues, including the core issue of Kashmir.” However, Pakistan does not want to escalate tension with India and its minimum objective is to avoid further tension with its neighbour.



When quizzed about India’s quest to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), Aziz said it was not acceptable to Pakistan that despite being a non-signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation (NPT), India should become a member of the 48-nation exclusive club. “If India alone is given membership it will undermine the strategic stability in the region,” he added. “It was not only China and Turkey but many other countries like Brazil, Austria, Kazakhstan, Norway and Switzerland also supported Pakistan stance in NSG.”

However, Aziz said the issue of NSG membership had not gone away hence Pakistan was working out a post-Seoul strategy on it. “We will continue our diplomatic offensive in this regard,” Aziz said.

On Pakistan-US relations, Aziz said, overall relations between the two countries were good as they were engaged in

six working groups for cooperation in counter-terrorism, energy, education and many other important areas. Both countries were also engaged in strategic dialogue but there were divergence of views on some issues like nuclear issue.

He said Pakistan had its own nuclear policy and it would not allow anyone what should be its contours and how it should maintain its minimum credible nuclear deterrence.

On the $46 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he said it was a quantum jump with its historic relations with China. Pakistan, he said, was determined to implement CPEC and had created a special force to ensure protection of its workers.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2016.