ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office Thursday strongly dismissed a recentstatement by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing Pakistan ofsponsoring terrorism and said the attempt was meant to divert world’sattention from the ongoing human rights violations in Indian occupiedKashmir.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a meeting with US Vice President inSingapore Wednesday had said, “All the leads in global terror attacksultimately lead to a single source – Pakistan, which was also politicallymainstreaming the people involved in terrorist activities,” as was quotedby Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale.
Foreign Office Spokesman Muhammad Faisal, at a weekly briefing, said Indiawas habitual of blaming Pakistan rather than positively responding to thelatter’s offer for negotiations.
“India should refrain from doing this and instead should work on the betteroption (negotiations),” the spokesman said in reference to Prime MinisterImran Khan’s letter to his Indian counterpart, proposing resumption ofbilateral dialogue and discussion on all outstanding issues.
He confirmed that the body of slain SP Tahir Khan Dawar was still nothanded over to Pakistan, to which strong protest was registered with theAfghan authorities.
He said Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul and the consulate in Jalalabad wereconstantly in touch with the Afghan Foreign Ministry for the early recoveryof body and its transfer to Pakistan.
To a question on Asia Bibi, the Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy, thespokesman said she was still in Pakistan “alive and safe”.
On reasons of US Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation ZalmayKhalilzad putting off his upcoming visit to Pakistan, he said the ForeignOffice was in touch with the US authorities for the finalization of dates.
However, he said Pakistan’s relations with the US were beyond the frameworkof Afghan reconciliation.
On Moscow format, he said Pakistan as a policy was successfully engaged inefforts to ensure Afghan peace and believed that the forum with regionalcountries would help resume stability of the war-torn country.
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He said military-focused strategy could not be successful in Afghanistanand the conflict required a political Afghan-led and Afghan-owned solution.
He mentioned the recent report by Watson Institute of International andPublic Affairs with its key finding that around 500,700 were killed inAfghanistan and Pakistan in terror-related incidents since 2011 and alsoidentified Pakistan as the worst victim.
On repatriation of Afghan refugees, he said the process at present wassuspended due to winter season in both countries.
He said the repatriation process would resume in March and the SAFRONministry was working on the issue.
On crackdown by China separating Pakistani men from their Uygur wives, thespokesman said the Foreign Office was in touch with Chinese authorities toresolve the issue.
On the government’s efforts for the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui from theUS prison, the spokesman said the matter was consistently being raised withthe US focusing her legal rights during detention.
He said the consulate general in Houston paid regular visits to Dr Aafia,making around 12 visits in three years.
