Sartaj denies backdoor diplomacy with India

Adviser on Foreign Affairs says Pakistan not isolated diplomatically

ISLAMABAD: Rejecting the view about the country’s isolation at diplomatic front, Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Thursday said, with the major “re-alignments” under way at “global and geostrategic” levels, “Pakistan was moving in the right direction”.

“Development of Eurasia by Russia and China, activation of SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation), formation of AIB (Asian Investment Bank), etc., indicated major re-alignments,” he said while talking to Express News.



In response to a question, Aziz said there was no backdoor or track-II diplomacy going on between Pakistan and India, as such kind of contacts were established on the desire of two sides.

Aziz said the cause of concern in the western countries about Pakistan was its growing relations and cooperation with China and added that “Pakistan was pursuing various connectivity projects in the region such as CASA-1000 electricity transmission line, TAPI gas pipeline, etc., and it would become permanent member of the SCO next year.”

The adviser: however, added that Pakistan also enjoyed good bilateral ties with the US, the UK, the European Union, the Middle East and other regions of the world.



Responding to a question about Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s address to the UN General Assembly, he said the issue of Kashmir and the continued human rights violations in the occupied territory were focussed in the address.

He also recollected how the Composite Dialogue Process between the two countries was discontinued and said “India had the habit of blaming Pakistan after every terrorist incident in their country without providing any solid evidence”. About the PTI’s planned rally in Islamabad, Aziz said it was the beauty of democracy that issues should be debated and resolved through the forum of parliament.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 14^th, 2016.