NSA calls India’s Afghan aid ‘publicity stunt’

ISLAMABAD:

National Security Adviser (NSA) Dr Moeed Yusuf on Saturday said India had made a publicity stunt by announcing 50,000 tonnes of wheat assistance for Afghanistan and sent not a single grain for the war-torn country facing a humanitarian crisis.

“India deliberately announced the wheat assistance intended to be transported through Pakistan's land routes with the assumption that the latter would deny whereas it occurred the other way around,” the NSA said in an interview to a private news channel.

Yusuf said India was committing crimes against humanity and crossing all limits of genocide but the world has shut its eyes on its brutal atrocities.

"The global community thinks that India is as a counterweight to China but it has become a counterweight to itself," the NSA regretted.

“The resolution of Afghanistan's crisis was up to the US administration as without lifting sanctions, normalcy could not be revived to ensure a progressing Afghanistan.”

The NSA noted that there were four million Afghan refugees already in Pakistan.

“Any unrest in the neighbouring country would lead to a massive spillover into Pakistan,” he warned.

“The world and local media has been accusing me of being Taliban's spokesperson but it's my responsibility to protect my county and raise concerns over looming threats."

Read Pakistan asks Afghan Taliban to take TTP ‘as test case’

He alluded that if there was a fire breaking out in his neighbourhood then it would definitely affect him.

Therefore, he added, he was repeatedly flagging the humanitarian crisis going on in Afghanistan as it would have serious impacts on Pakistan.

To a question, he said there was nothing like accepting governments rather States were recognised. “Afghanistan is a recognised State."

He pointed out that the banking system in Afghanistan was choked and it should be revived so that local masses and international donor agencies could help the common people in that country.

“We cannot do anything except convincing the world to support Afghanistan."

He said that there was very positive response on a government-level between Pakistan and Afghanistan on border fencing and management but local level issues should be ignored.

The NSA while commenting on the newly-approved first-ever National Security Policy (NSP) said the document had clearly mentioned economic security would be at its core.

"We have financial insolvency and our fluctuating GDP growth is compromising our sovereignty that needs to be fixed," he added.

He said the mitigation of external imbalance and export diversification must be addressed as economic independence was necessary.

Yusuf mentioned that the implementation framework was important as the NSP was the only policy that had a complete department of National Security Division for its implementation.

Commenting on the NSP's direction set for national security of the country, he said the region could not proceed without Pakistan.

"Pakistan has envisioned an impartial policy to avoid any camp politics whereas its ties with China are non-negotiable and as for the US, it cannot afford to sour its relations [with the country].”

The NSA said Pakistan's statement of intent was very necessary and it had to tell the world the reality about it.

“India, by false narratives or crook, has always tried to humiliate Pakistan internationally."

He added that Pakistan had a clear direction in the NSP as it wanted peace and connectivity with India but it could not be done without resolving the Kashmir issue.

Yusuf underlined that the NSP's focus was to protect citizens of the country from the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other anti-state elements.

“A slight uptick came in terrorism in border areas but was contained after successful interventions of the security forces and it should be clear there would be no compromise on the masses' security, he added.

The NSA said China Pakistan Economic Corridor was the lifeline and future of the country.

“The development work has been expedited and the next phase of industrialisation would bring economic prosperity to the region,” he added.

"There is no other source of $40-50 billion into the national economy other than CPEC.”