ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria on Thursday denied reports regarding Chinese military presence in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and noted that Pakistan has vowed to eradicate terrorism from the region.
In this regard, Zakaria said the Pakistan would require Afghan government’s support and collaboration. He also said that he would not like to comment on foreign media reports. The FO spokesman said Islamabad had conveyed its disappointment to the Indian deputy high commissioner in Islamabad over New Delhi’s decision to bar Pakistani diplomats from travelling to Kolkata for the World T20 match between India and Pakistan. “We were disappointed, but the matter will now be sorted out,” he maintained during weekly press briefing.
He also said that Kashmir issue should be resolved as per resolutions in the UN, as the global community also recognises the dispute. “The Kashmir issue is still mentioned in the UN Security Council resolutions list as an unsettled matter.” About a statement by Professor Nivedita Menon of Jawahar Lal Nehru University that India was illegally occupying Kashmir, the spokesman said Kashmir dispute was a longstanding item on the UN agenda and many segments in Indian intelligentsia had been vociferously viewing the illegal occupation of Indian Jammu and Kashmir.
There were numerous UN Security Council resolutions, which declared that the final disposition of the State of Jammu and Kashmir would be made in accordance with the will of the people expressed through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under the auspices of the United Nations. Some segments in the Indian Intelligentsia had vociferously opposed the illegal Indian occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.
The spokesperson also said that Afghanistan was in a state of war for last three decades, there were mechanisms of collaboration and dialogue with Afghanistan, with the help of which dialogues had been continued including the issue of Taliban sanctuaries. He said Pakistan was pushing forward the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan, requesting stakeholders to avoid blame games on the issue. About the next meeting of Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) on Afghanistan, the spokesman said it was decided in the 4th QCG meeting on February 23 in Kabul that the fifth one would take place after the holding of first round of direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban groups.
He said Pakistan had offered to host the first round of direct talks which was welcomed by other QCG members. To a question about a statement by former Afghan president Hamid Karzai doubting Pakistan’s role in Afghan reconciliation, the spokesman said Pakistan was aware of the way negative sentiments were being caste against it and termed it “regrettable”. He said Pakistan had vital stakes in the peace, stability and development of Afghanistan.
Answering a question, Zakaria said Pakistan was firm on pursuing indiscriminate and unequivocal drive against terrorism in pursuance of the national consensus. “Pakistan has time again made it very clear that it is fully resolved to eradicate the menace of terrorism and is not making any distinction in this regard,” he maintained.
