Islamabad dismisses Pompeo's statement
FO says no country can pressure Pakistan
Foreign Office spokesperson Muhammad Faisal. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
Dismissing the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s statement that Washington will hold Islamabad accountable if it did not act decisively against terrorists, the Foreign Office insisted that no country could exert pressure on Pakistan for “something which we believe is in our own interest”.
Speaking at a weekly news briefing on Thursday, Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal said Pakistan’s own economic vision and integration into the broader region hinges on peace in Afghanistan.
“There is no question of any country applying pressure on Pakistan for something which we believe is in our own interest,” Faisal said while responding to the recent statement of Pompeo that Pakistan would be held accountable if it did not cut off ties to extremist groups, including the Haqqani Network.
The spokesperson made it clear that Pakistan’s domestic and external pronouncements were guided by its national interest and prosperity of the people of Pakistan.
He said Pakistan and the US along with other regional stakeholders were currently engaged in pursuing a political settlement in Afghanistan, which is Afghan-owned and Afghan-led.
In this context, US Special Representative on Afghan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad visited the region, including Pakistan, a couple of weeks ago.
PM Imran, Pompeo discuss ‘aid’ suspension, Afghan peace
“It is important to reiterate that Pakistan’s cooperation with Afghanistan and the international community to bring about lasting peace in Afghanistan is borne out of our firm belief that a stable Afghanistan is vital for eliminating the menace of terrorism inside Pakistan and the region in general,” he added.
To a question, Faisal said he had no information whether senior Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was released by Pakistan.
Baradar, who was serving as deputy to late Taliban chief Mullah Muhammad Omar when he was arrested in a joint Pakistan-CIA operation from Karachi in 2010, was thought to be freed against the backdrop of a renewed push for peaceful Afghan settlement.
On the possible role of Pakistan in brokering a deal on Yemen crisis, the spokesperson without going into details said Islamabad had always wished to play a positive role in bringing all Muslim countries together.
Prime Minister Imran Khan recently visited Saudi Arabia where he managed to secure a much-needed financial assistance from the kingdom. But questions were asked that under what terms and conditions Pakistan was being given financial assistance.
One of the concerns included whether Pakistan would play a more proactive role in the Yemen conflict.
The prime minister, however, clarified that Pakistan would only play a role of mediator between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Separately, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi insisted that there were no strings attached to the Saudi assistance.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson on the invitation of the Chinese leadership said, PM Imran would pay an official visit to China from November 2-5.
This will be the first official visit of the prime minister to China after assuming office in August 2018. He would be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including the foreign minister.
During the visit, the prime minister would have wide-ranging discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. After his visit to Beijing, the Imran would visit Shanghai to participate in the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, where Pakistan is exhibiting a wide range of export products. The prime minister would be among the keynote speakers at the opening of the CIIE.
Dismissing the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s statement that Washington will hold Islamabad accountable if it did not act decisively against terrorists, the Foreign Office insisted that no country could exert pressure on Pakistan for “something which we believe is in our own interest”.
Speaking at a weekly news briefing on Thursday, Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal said Pakistan’s own economic vision and integration into the broader region hinges on peace in Afghanistan.
“There is no question of any country applying pressure on Pakistan for something which we believe is in our own interest,” Faisal said while responding to the recent statement of Pompeo that Pakistan would be held accountable if it did not cut off ties to extremist groups, including the Haqqani Network.
The spokesperson made it clear that Pakistan’s domestic and external pronouncements were guided by its national interest and prosperity of the people of Pakistan.
He said Pakistan and the US along with other regional stakeholders were currently engaged in pursuing a political settlement in Afghanistan, which is Afghan-owned and Afghan-led.
In this context, US Special Representative on Afghan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad visited the region, including Pakistan, a couple of weeks ago.
PM Imran, Pompeo discuss ‘aid’ suspension, Afghan peace
“It is important to reiterate that Pakistan’s cooperation with Afghanistan and the international community to bring about lasting peace in Afghanistan is borne out of our firm belief that a stable Afghanistan is vital for eliminating the menace of terrorism inside Pakistan and the region in general,” he added.
To a question, Faisal said he had no information whether senior Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was released by Pakistan.
Baradar, who was serving as deputy to late Taliban chief Mullah Muhammad Omar when he was arrested in a joint Pakistan-CIA operation from Karachi in 2010, was thought to be freed against the backdrop of a renewed push for peaceful Afghan settlement.
On the possible role of Pakistan in brokering a deal on Yemen crisis, the spokesperson without going into details said Islamabad had always wished to play a positive role in bringing all Muslim countries together.
Prime Minister Imran Khan recently visited Saudi Arabia where he managed to secure a much-needed financial assistance from the kingdom. But questions were asked that under what terms and conditions Pakistan was being given financial assistance.
One of the concerns included whether Pakistan would play a more proactive role in the Yemen conflict.
The prime minister, however, clarified that Pakistan would only play a role of mediator between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Separately, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi insisted that there were no strings attached to the Saudi assistance.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson on the invitation of the Chinese leadership said, PM Imran would pay an official visit to China from November 2-5.
This will be the first official visit of the prime minister to China after assuming office in August 2018. He would be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including the foreign minister.
During the visit, the prime minister would have wide-ranging discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. After his visit to Beijing, the Imran would visit Shanghai to participate in the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, where Pakistan is exhibiting a wide range of export products. The prime minister would be among the keynote speakers at the opening of the CIIE.