Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Faisal on Thursday categorically ruled out the possibility of handing over Dr Shakil Afridi to the United States.
“There is no deal being made with the US to handover Shakil Afridi in exchange of Husain Haqqani or Aafia Siddiqui,” the spokesman told a weekly press briefing.
Soon after Osama bin Laden was killed in May 2011 in a US raid in Abbottabad, the US media had reported that Afridi contributed to the success of the CIA operation by collecting DNA samples of bin Laden’s family through a fake polio vaccination campaign. After his detention in 2011, Afridi was sentenced to 33 years for involvement in anti-state activities by a tribal court in 2012. However, the sentence was later reduced.
To a question, the spokesman said that the decision to move Shakil Afridi from Peshawar to Adiala Jail was taken by the interior ministry. He, however, turned down questions about media reports claiming that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had tried to stage a jailbreak in Peshawar in order to rescue Afridi, saying he had no information about the matter since the issue was relevant to the interior ministry.
The FO said that international observers would visit Pakistan for the monitoring of upcoming general elections, adding that the schedule of their arrival will be fixed later.
With regards to the recent disqualification from parliament of foreign minister Khawaja Asif, the FO spokesperson stated that the prime minister is holding the portfolio for now.
Dr Faisal stated that the presence of Afghan refugees gives a chance to terrorists to hide among them. “The return of refugees is not just Pakistan’s but the international community’s responsibility,” he stated.
During the briefing, Dr Faisal apprised the media of Pakistan’s efforts to highlight the plight of innocent Kashmiris at the international forums. “Pakistan is actively pursuing the Kashmir cause at all regional and international fora and a conference on the issue will also be held soon,” he added.
The spokesman apprised the media that a contact group of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) on Kashmir dispute recently held a meeting on the issue. The meeting condemned the killing of 20 innocent civilians at the hands of Indian occupation forces. Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua briefed the participants of the contact group on Indian aggression and recent escalation in atrocities against the innocent Kashmiri civilians, including a gruesome incident of rape and murder of an eight-year-old young girl, he said.
The spokesperson said that this week, the Indian occupation forces martyred four Kashmiris namely Sameer Ahmad Bhat, Aaqib Mushtaq Khan, Shahid Ahmad Dar and Abid Bashir Bhat in Pulwama and Islamabad areas, thus continuing their reign of terror in the area. “Indian troops, in their unabated acts of state terrorism, martyred 33 Kashmiris, including two young boys, in occupied Kashmir in the month of April alone. This speaks volumes of India’s high handedness and the atrocities it commits in Indian Occupied Kashmir with absolute impunity,” he outlined.
Faisal stated that the international community must wake up to its responsibility of unequivocally condemning these brutal acts of India and call it to account to immediately halt this nefarious bloodshed in the disputed valley. He highlighted that Pakistan had summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh on April 27 and conveyed Pakistan’s condemnation of the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control. “The conflict should be resolved in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people and the United Nations (UN) Security Council resolutions,” he reiterated.
In response to another question, he said India and Pakistan can resolve the issue of diplomats being harassed through dialogue and do not need backdoor channels for it.
The spokesperson addressed key developments on the Korean peninsula, and said that Pakistan welcomes the historic Summit between President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. “Pakistan hopes that the summit leads to lasting peace, prosperity, stability, reconciliation and cooperation between the two Koreas as well as in the region,” he added.
The Foreign Office said Moscow and Islamabad had shared aspirations for regional development and prosperity, and that the friendship between the two countries was fast evolving into a mature partnership. The spokesperson reaffirmed that the relations between the two countries were characterised by mutual trust, commonality of interests, and convergence of views on important regional and global issues. “In the backdrop of multiple recent developments that have seen Pakistan-Russia relations touch historic new heights, the anniversary of Russia-Pakistan relations is being celebrated in both countries with great fervour and zeal,” the spokesperson told reporters in reference to celebrations markings 70 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
The spokesperson strongly condemned recent twin suicide attacks in Kabul, which killed and injured many other people in Kabul on 30 April. “We are distressed and grieved at the loss of precious human lives. We express our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives and pray to Almighty Allah for early recovery of the injured.”
Published in Daily Times, May 4th 2018.
