ISLAMABAD – Pakistan will participate in the Joint Military Anti-TerroristCommand and Staff Exercise to be held in Russia in August this year underthe Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Peace Mission 2018, said ForeignOffice Spokesman Dr Muhammad Faisal Thursday.

In a weekly press briefing, the spokesman said the exercise, being held inthe Ural Mountains, was a regular feature to strengthen counter-terrorismcooperation among the Member States.

He said Pakistan and Russia had been arranging joint military exercises“Friendship” “(DRUZHBA)” since last two years. The joint military exerciseswere held in Pakistan and Russia in 2016 and 2017 respectively, besides thetwo editions of navy exercises in 2014 and 2015.

In reference to former President Asif Zardari’s statement on Nawaz Sharifgetting political asylum in UK, the spokesman said it was not obligatory onthe country wherein political asylum was taken to inform the country oforigin.

Asked about the update on the restrictions imposed on Pakistan’s diplomatsin the US and on US diplomats in Pakistan, he said both sides were activelyengaged on the matter.In his comments about Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s visit toSwitzerland, particularly in the context of the future of Iranian nucleardeal, he reiterated Pakistan’s stance of supporting Joint ComprehensivePlan of Action, and hoped that the parties to the agreement would continuetheir commitment to the deal.

Dr Faisal said Pakistan attached great importance to SAARC and wascommitted to the principles and objectives of the SAARC Charter. Pakistanlooked forward to the holding of the SAARC Summit in Islamabad at theearliest which had been delayed long enough.

He said the delegates of Pakistan Chapter of the SAARC Chamber of Commerceand Industry could not attend the event due to other pressing engagements.However, deputy Secretary General from Pakistan attended the conclave.The spokesman voiced serious concern over the “relentless killing, maiming,unlawful arrests and torture” by India against the innocent civilians inIndian occupied Jammu & Kashmir and pointed that in June alone 33 peoplehad been killed by the Indian Army.

He reiterated the demand for immediate establishment of Commission ofInquiry to assess the Human Rights situation in the region and said thereign of terror against the Kashmiris has become a matter of routine.He said the recommendations of the The Office of the United Nations HighCommissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) need to be implemented without delay.“We urge the international community to call India to account for its gravehuman rights violations in IoK,” he remarked.

He said the Indian occupation forces continued to kill innocent defenselessKashmiris with impunity. He said in June thirty – three (33) Kashmiris weremartyred and at least 236 injured. Out of these, 7 youth were killed in afake encounter in Kupwara. Faisal said those martyred included threewidowed women and four children.

He said the last week was equally traumatic and tragic for Kashmiris in IoKand said the bloodthirsty Indian army and paramilitary forces killed14-years young boy, Faizan Ahmad Khan.He said the event was all the more tragic as the hospital doctor whodeclared Faizan dead happened to be Faizan’s own father.

He said the injured suffered fatal and serious injuries due toindiscriminate brute force including firing of bullets, pellets, PAVA andteargas shells by Indian occupation forces. Over 176 people, includingHurriyat activists and students were arrested last month during house raidsand crackdown operations, the spokesman pointed.He said Sajad Ahmad Shah and 31-year old Mudasir Ahmad Bhat in Pulwama andKupwara were succumbed to their injuries caused by bullets, pellets andteargas shells.

The spokesman said to highlight the serious situation in the Indianoccupied Kashmir a briefing for Islamabad-based Heads of Mission was heldon June 27 at Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the recent Report ofthe UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), on the situation ofhuman rights in Kashmir.He said the Foreign Minister Abdullah Hussain Haroon during the briefing todiplomats regretted that the fundamental human conscience had beensurpassed by our more ‘practical’ interests, when it came to the humanrights violations in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

“It is time for the international community to move beyond political andeconomic expediencies and fulfill its promises to the Kashmiri people, asper United Nations Security Council Resolutions,” the spokesman said.Mohammad Faisal said the UN report had categorically focused on the Indianatrocities in IoK and explicitly underscored India’s obligation to fulfillits commitment to International Human Rights Law and InternationalHumanitarian Law, as well as to halt the human sufferings in Indianoccupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The spokesman said Pakistan has handed over a list of 471 Indian prisoners(53 civilian + 418 fishermen) held in Pakistan to the High Commission ofIndia July 1, as per the provisions of the Consular Access Agreementbetween the two countries.

He said Pakistan and India, signed the agreement on May 21, 2008, underwhich both countries were required to exchange lists of prisoners in eachother’s custody twice a year, on the first of January and July,respectively. The Indian government also handed over the list of Pakistaniprisoners in Indian, to Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, thespokesman said. – APP