Pakistan determined to counter threat to peace and security: FO

Islamabad: Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch Thursday said Pakistan is determined and capable to counter any threat to its peace and security, while responding to the queries of media persons at her weekly news briefing in Islamabad regarding terrorist threat emanating from Afghanistan.

She said that engagement mechanisms between Pakistan and Afghanistan are functional and Pakistan will continue to engage with the Afghan side on matters of mutual concerns including security and border management.

The Spokesperson stated, “Pakistan has consistently said it will continue to support the Afghan people in their quest for a unified, independent and sovereign Afghanistan that is at peace with itself and the neighbors”.

Responding to a question, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said a positive momentum is being witnessed in relations between Pakistan and the United States.

She added, “Pakistan wants to proceed forward on the basis of mutual trust, respect and interest”.  

The Spokesperson stated that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have close fraternal ties which are rooted in history and common faith.

“Our relations are multidimensional and that includes cooperation in defense domain,” she further added.

Referring to the visit of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), she stated that it is in the context of promoting Pakistan-Saudi Arabia relations and defense ties.

As regards the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan being held in Geneva on next Monday, the spokesperson said Pakistan expects long term response from the international community for building a climate resilient infrastructure.

Giving an overview of Indian human rights violations in illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said: “The Indian security forces reportedly killed 214 Kashmiris, fifty seven of them in custody or in fake encounters during the last year. Only last week, four individuals were killed in a fake encounter in Sidhra Town in Jammu”.

There are reports that bodies were charred beyond recognition. She urged the international human rights machinery and organizations to take note of this tragedy.

The spokesperson said over four thousand Kashmiris remain imprisoned in different jails in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and India. Political prisoners and human rights defenders continued to be targeted and incarcerated.

Mumtaz Zahra Baloch concluded that Pakistan will continue to extend unstinted moral, political and diplomatic support to the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their quest for self-determination in accordance with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.