ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday said the drone strikes were intolerable and against the sovereignty of the country.
During his weekly media briefing, Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said that Pakistan’s policy pertaining to drone strikes had always been clear.
The statement came days after a Pakistan Air Force JF-17 Thunder jet shot down an Iranian drone in Balochistan’s Panjgur district along the Pak-Iran border.
The spokesperson said that Pakistan’s position on drone strikes was clear: they are counterproductive and cause collateral damage. To a question about Iranian UAV, he said the drone was hit by PAF as it was unidentified and was flying at around 3-4 kms inside Pakistani territory. “Pakistan has already shared information about striking down of this drone with the Iranian authorities, indicating that the drone was struck down by our security forces as it was unmarked and there was no prior information about its flight,” he said.
Zakaria maintained that Pakistan wanted to work with the new United States (US) administration as it gave much importance to its relations with the US. He said that Pakistan was taking action against all terrorist groups and would not allow its land to be used against any country.
On Pakistan-Afghanistan relations, Zakaria said that Pakistan would welcome any delegation from Afghanistan visiting the country. “Two-way visits will help strengthening bilateral ties,” he opined.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana recently and agreed on expanding mutual cooperation in diverse fields. Afghan leader is expected to visit Pakistan shortly to further improve the bilateral relations.
When asked to comment on expected visits of Chinese and Afghan leaders, the spokesperson said, “We will welcome visits from Afghanistan and China that will help grow the mutual cooperation.”
Responding to a query, he said China was an important partner in efforts to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan. Both China and Pakistan are working closely under the initiatives like QCG, Heart of Asia Istanbul Process, which aimed at bringing lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan. The Chinese foreign minister would be visiting Pakistan over the weekend. Both sides are set to discuss all issues of mutual interest including the regional situation.
Commenting on missing Pakistani officials in Afghanistan, Zakaria said, “We are in contact with the Afghan government to rescue the consulate officials.” He apprised the media that Afghanistan has already constituted three teams to rescue the two consulate officials who went missing on June 16 on their way to Pakistan.
While congratulating Pakistani nation on the historic victory against India in the final of ICC Champions Trophy, Zakaria said that the Amnesty International has called upon India to release all those arrested on charges of celebrating Pakistan’s victory. He said arresting Kashmiris for celebrating Pakistan’s victory against India is a sad state of affairs. Commenting on the Indian atrocities in Held Kashmir, he said since 1947 Indian occupation forces have killed over a million Kashmiris. “Pakistanis will not forget their Kashmiri brothers on the eve of Eid ul Fitr, especially the children who are facing brutalities of Indian troops in the valley,” he said, and added Advisor to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has written a letter to United Nations secretary general, United Nations Security Council (UNSC) president, and other international bodies including OIC to update them on human rights violations in the Held Kashmir.
Published in Daily Times, June 23rd, 2017.
