US Congressmen’s letter to Antony Blinken ‘contains distorted facts’.
Pakistan will continue to extend support to Kashmiris.
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan said yesterday that China, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye stood for international law and for the primacy of the UN charter by not participating in the G-20 meeting in occupied Kashmir.
At her weekly press briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch appreciated China, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Egypt and Oman for not attending the G-20 meeting in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
The spokesperson said Pakistan had categorically rejected India’s move to host the meeting of G-20 Tourism Working Group in Srinagar.
She said India had clearly failed in hiding the reality in IIOJK behind a veneer of normalcy, as demonstrated by low level representation and the absence of a number of important invitees at the Srinagar meeting.
She said India hosted this meeting in IIOJK in complete disregard to the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, principles of the UN Charter and international law. The spokesperson pointed out that the G-20 was established primarily to address global financial and economic issues. She said by holding this meeting in the occupied territory, India has politicized yet another international forum and is exploiting its position as the current chair to advance its self-serving agenda.
Baloch said India should instead provide unhindered access to the international media and independent human rights organizations to report on the situation in IIOJK. The spokesperson said, Pakistan for its part, will continue to extend its moral, diplomatic and political support to the Kashmiri people’s just struggle for realization of their inalienable right to self-determination.
To a question, she said Pakistan has not joined one bloc or the other. “Pakistan has a consistent policy that we do not believe in bloc politics. We have an all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with China. It is a relationship that has grown from strength to strength over the last several decades and both countries are committed to this relationship,” she said.
The spokesperson added: “Similarly, Pakistan has excellent relations with a large number of countries around the world including the Middle East, Asia Pacific, Europe and Africa. The United States is one of the oldest friends and partners of Pakistan and the biggest export market. Pakistan-US relations are multidimensional with several areas of cooperation. We have no desire to take sides or to join one bloc or the other.”
Asked about a letter written to US Secretary of State Antony John Blinken by more than 60 congressmen regarding alleged ‘human rights violation’ in Pakistan, she said: “We have seen the letter. We do not agree with the characterization of the events of May 9 and the situation in Pakistan, as reflected in that letter. The National Security Committee has spelt out the factual situation around the events of May 9. Pakistan remains committed to its constitutional obligations to protect the rights and property of all its citizens. These constitutional guarantees and fundamental freedoms are being underwritten by our judiciary.” Questioned about the former US secretary of state Mike Pompeii’s statement on the current politics of Pakistan, Baloch said: “We will not comment on the statements by people who are not in government or hold any public office. Pakistan has the resilience and capacity to overcome all domestic challenges.”
She said, “We welcome the recent normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Iran and Egypt and the peace measures which have been taken with respect to the conflict in Yemen. We also welcome the return of Syria to the Arab League fold. We hope that with peace restored and normalization of relations between countries in the region, all of which are good friends of Pakistan, new opportunities would arise for progress and prosperity of the people of this region, including for the people of Pakistan,” she added.
The spokesperson urged India not to mix politics with sports. India’s approach has, however, remained very disappointing. India is a country that refused visas for the blind cricket team and politicized sports.
Baloch said Foreign Minister of Republic of Belarus, Sergei Aleinik, will undertake an official visit to Islamabad on May 30-31, 2023, at the invitation of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
She said Foreign Secretary Dr Asad Majeed Khan will travel to Azerbaijan and Georgia from 31st May to 1st June 2023 to hold bilateral political consultations.
