Pakistan to keep ‘national interests’ supreme in global realignments

Foreign Office says significant progress made in implementing the FATF action plan

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan will take steps only to further its national interests against the backdrop of regional and international realignments that put China and the US as well as China and India at odds with each other, the Foreign Office said on Thursday.

Speaking at a weekly news briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri told reporters it was natural for countries to realign themselves in accordance with the changing global realities and politics.

“Regarding China-Pakistan friendship, we are ‘all weather friends’ with a deep strategic understanding on core issues of national interest to both the countries. Cooperation between Pakistan and China in all areas continues to grow to the mutual benefit of the two countries,” he added.

The spokesperson said that Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi recently visited China, where all aspects of bilateral cooperation were brought under discussion, and further strengthening of bilateral ties was agreed upon.

“Pakistan will take every such step that will further its national interests,” the spokesperson stated, while responding to the question as to which side Pakistan would take if there was a tussle between China and the US and its allies, including India.

China’s increasing economic clout is also paving way for realignments in the Middle East. The $400 billion strategic pact between China and Iran also raised eyebrows in many Arab countries.

This has put Pakistan in a difficult situation as being part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Pakistan is naturally aligned with China and its ventures with other countries. However, Pakistan’s Arab friends are not happy with the development and are reportedly pushing the country to stay away from the Chinese camp.

In an interview with Al-Jazeera, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday also insisted that Pakistan would not join any camp rather maintain friendly ties with all countries, including China and the US. But the Foreign Office statement suggested that Pakistan might have to eventually pick sides keeping in view its national interests.

On the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the spokesperson said Pakistan was implementing “the FATF Action Plan since 2018 and we have made significant progress” in this regard.

“Our entire AML/CFT regime has been revamped in compliance of the action plan to bring it to the international standards set by FATF,” he informed the reporters.

He said the substantial progress made by Pakistan under a huge national effort includes steps in legislative, regulatory and operational domains. “FATF has also acknowledged Pakistan’s political commitment and the progress made by us in a number of areas in the action plan. We are committed to and moving towards completion of the action plan.”

IIOJK situation

The inhuman military siege, communications blockade, media blackout and continued restrictions on all forms of freedom of the Kashmiri people in IIOJK continue unabated for 395 days, the Foreign Office observed.

It maintained that in further acts of unabated state terrorism over the past one week, the Indian occupation forces martyred 20 more Kashmiris, in fake and staged encounters. Over 300 innocent Kashmiris, including women and children, had been martyred in fake encounters and so-called “cordon and search” operations during the last one-year, it added.

“Pakistan strongly condemns the use of tear gas shells and firing of pellets on Muslims taking part in the Muharram procession in IIOJK,” the Foreign Office statement read. Due to the illegal and indiscriminate use of pellets, it added, dozens of Kashmiris were seriously injured, including in the eyes, causing permanent blindness.

Indiscriminate targeting of civilians with pellet guns, causing excessive and permanent injuries and even deaths, was a clear violation of human rights and humanitarian law, the Foreign Office stated. “The government of India is in clear violation of the United Nations’ basic principles on the use of force and firearms by law enforcement officials and the UN Code of Conduct for law-enforcement officials.”

The statement said that the BJP leadership was directly responsible for the illegal actions of the Indian occupation forces. “No illegal acts, such as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and Public Safety Act (PSA), can provide a legal cover to a crime recognised as such by international law,” the statement further read.

The Foreign Office condemned the Indian government’s decision to forcibly impose Hindi language on the Kashmiri people in the IIOJK through the “Jammu and Kashmir Languages Bill, 2020”, approved by the Indian cabinet.

The decision was a part of the BJP regime’s condemnable design to deprive the Kashmiris of their distinct culture and identity, observed the Foreign Office. The move was also said to be further aimed at facilitating an illegal change in the demographic structure of the occupied territory in violation of international law, including the 4th Geneva Convention.

“Pakistan and the people of Kashmir reject Indian attempts to impose illegal and unilateral decisions in IIOJK against the wishes of the majority,” the Foreign Office maintained.

“The international community must take cognisance of the series of illegal Indian decisions and actions taken since August 5, 2019 and act in support of the human rights of the Kashmiri people,” the statement read. Pakistan also expressed deep concern at the worsening human rights situation and treatment of minorities in India under the BJP’s “Hindutva” inspired regime.

Referring to the Amnesty International’s report, the Foreign Office stated that the “findings of Amnesty International’s Investigative Briefing of August 28 2020, had documented serious and systemic human rights violations committed by Delhi police during the February 2020 Delhi riots.”

The statement added that these findings were both worrisome and challenging for the collective conscience of the international community.

“The violations documented by Amnesty International field investigation include Delhi police officers indulging in violence with the rioters; torture in custody; using excessive force on protesters; dismantling protest sites used by peaceful protesters and being mute bystanders as rioters wreaked havoc,” the Foreign Office maintained.

According to the Foreign Office, the field investigation was a reaffirmation of Pakistan’s stance that the large-scale, targeted violence against Muslims that took place in New Delhi in February 2020 was a direct result of the “exclusionary and extremist rhetoric and policies” of the BJP-RSS combined.

The Foreign Office said that the investigation was also a sad testament to how India’s entire security apparatus had been compromised to serve the ideologically-motivated objectives of current political dispensation. It also reflected how the extremist ideology had permeated the state institutions of India.

“Pakistan seconds the investigation’s recommendation that a prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigation needs to be launched into all allegations of human rights violations by law-enforcement officials,” the Foreign Office added.

Speaking of the Indian nationals that Pakistan had proposed to be designated as terrorists, the Foreign Office statement maintained that, “As you are aware, Pakistan had proposed designation of Indian nationals under the United Nations Security Council’s ISIL and Al-Qaeda Sanctions list in 2019.”

The Foreign Office added that Pakistan regrets the decision by some members of the UNSC Sanctions Committee to block the designation of two Indian nationals, Gobinda Patnaik and Angara Appaji, to the sanctions list on September 2, 2020.

“Pakistan has always stressed the need for de-politicisation of and transparency in the UN sanctions regime for its effectiveness and credibility,” the Foreign Office said. “These Indian nationals are wanted criminals in Pakistan for their involvement in many high-profile terrorist attacks and are currently residing in India under state protection.”

Pakistan had provided sufficient evidence to the UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee, including information about financial support, travel record and training camps established by this Indian terrorism syndicate to foment terrorism and instability in Pakistan, the Foreign Office added. “Pakistan will continue to expose Indian sponsorship of terrorist entities like TTP, JUA and other,” the spokesperson added.

Afghan peace process

The Foreign Office statement further stated that Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had a telephone conversation with the Afghan Acting Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar.

“The foreign minister underscored the need to further strengthen bilateral relations as well as progress in the ongoing Afghan peace process. The foreign minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s continued support for the Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace process.”

He expressed the hope for early initiation of intra-Afghan negotiations leading to an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement in Afghanistan, the Foreign Office statement said.

Islamophobia in Europe

Regarding the Islamophobic instances this week, Pakistan strongly condemned the incidents of desecration of Holy Quran in Malmo Sweden and Oslo, Norway, and the decision by the French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, to reprint deeply offensive caricature, the spokesperson said.

“Such deliberate acts to offend the sentiments of over a billion Muslims around the world cannot be justified as an exercise in press freedom or freedom of expression,” the statement read. “Such actions undermine the global aspirations for peaceful co-existence as well as social and inter-faith harmony.”

The Foreign Office added that Pakistan will continue to raise the issue, and underscore the need to respect all religious beliefs and inter-faith harmony.