Good Afternoon and welcome to our Weekly Press Briefing.
Let me begin by commending the outstanding performance of Pakistan’s cricket team at the T20 World Cup. While being a bit unlucky in the semi-final, on the whole, our young team earned acclaim and won the hearts of Pakistanis and cricket lovers around the world for their humility, skill and sportsman spirit. Well done. You brought us joy and made us so proud. And our congratulations as well to the Aussies - good game of cricket it was.
Moving from the cricket field to the diplomatic field - this has been a pretty busy week marked by a number of important engagements.
Beginning with Afghanistan - the meeting of the Troika Plus was held in Islamabad with participation of Special Representatives and Envoys for Afghanistan from China, Russian Federation, United States and Pakistan. Inaugurating the meeting, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi underlined the need to help prevent an imminent humanitarian and economic crisis in Afghanistan through continued and enhanced engagement of the international community as a collective and shared responsibility. A comprehensive joint statement was adopted as an outcome of the Meeting - with consolidation of peace and stability in Afghanistan being the overall objective.
In parallel, as you are aware we are having the visit of Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi who is leading a high-level delegation including Acting Ministers for Industry and Commerce, Finance and Deputy Minister of Aviation. Delegation level talks were held last evening with the Pakistan side led by Foreign Minister Qureshi, who was accompanied by the Minister of Aviation, Advisers on Finance and Commerce and other senior officials.
The Foreign Minister highlighted Pakistan’s efforts for facilitating humanitarian assistance and economic support to Afghanistan and reaffirmed our resolve to strengthen relations with Afghanistan in all areas. The talks focused on facilitation of transit trade, cross-border movement, land and aviation links and people-to-people contacts.
Earlier in the day, working groups on Trade, Transit and Commerce; Finance; and Aviation met under chairmanship of the respective Ministers. Outcomes of these discussions focusing on strengthening bilateral and transit trade regime and facilitating movement of people by land and air were shared in the delegation level talks. Pakistan also offered technical assistance in a number of areas. It was agreed to continue discussions with a view to strengthen existing ties and identify new areas of cooperation.
Earlier, Acting Foreign Minister Muttaqi also interacted with the Special Representatives/Envoys under the Troika Plus format.
This morning the delegation called on the Prime Minister and separately Troika Plus has also called on the Prime Minister.
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Ladies and Gentlemen,
On the bilateral side, let me note that 4th Round of Bilateral Political Consultations between Pakistan and Canada was held on 7 November, and the 7th Session of Senior Officials Talks between Pakistan and Australia was held on 10 November – enabling us to review the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation with these two important partners of Pakistan.
Let me turn now to a major highlight of this week. OIC’s Assistant-Secretary-General for Political Affairs & Special Envoy for Jammu and Kashmir, Ambassador Yousef Al-dobeay, accompanied by a high-level delegation including ASG for Humanitarian Affairs, Ambassador Tarig Bakhit and other senior officials visited Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir from 7-12 November. Details of this visit have been shared with you, also in yesterday’s press engagement by the Foreign Minister and the Special Envoy.
The Special Envoy called on the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, Minister of Human Rights and the Foreign Secretary. The delegation also met the SAPM on Health and interacted with the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir and True Representatives of the Kashmiri people.
In Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the delegation visited the LOC, Thotha Refugee Camp, interacted with refugees who have fled Indian atrocities in IIOJK, met United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) and called on the President and Prime Minister of AJK besides meetings with AJK Legislative Assembly, and representatives of various political parties.
Let me highlight some of the key takeaways from this visit:
First, it was part of OIC’s sustained and comprehensive engagement on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
Second, the visit clearly demonstrated Pakistan’s confidence and openness in providing access to international organizations in stark contrast with India’s denial for fact-finding and independent assessment of the situation in IIOJK.
Third, from the visit to AJK and LOC including interaction with victims of targeted shelling by Indian occupation forces, the delegation gathered first hand information on continuing human rights and humanitarian crisis in IIOJK as mandated by the Council of Foreign Ministers in Niamey.
Fourth, interactive engagements with civil society and think tanks, afforded the delegation clearer understanding of various aspects particularly the legal facets of Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
Fifth, in all engagements, the two Assistant-Secretary Generals reiterated OIC’s consistent and unwavering support for Pakistan and the Kashmiri people and rejected the series of illegal actions taken by India since 5 August 2019.
Let me add that OIC’s support is indispensable for Pakistan’s principled position of a just and peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions and wishes of the Kashmiri people.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This week our Hindu community celebrated Diwali-the festival of lights, with traditional zeal and fervor. We also commemorated the second anniversary of the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor-dubbed the ‘Corridor of Hope’ by the UN Secretary General. Inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2019, the Corridor is a shining example of our efforts to promote interfaith harmony, and is reflective of the primacy Pakistan accords to religious minorities in the country. The Corridor is open from the Pakistan side since June 2020. We expect that India, in the same spirit, will allow pilgrims to avail the Corridor to visit Kartarpur Sahib. Meanwhile, we are all set to welcome thousands of devotees from India and around the world coming to Pakistan for the upcoming birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak from 17-26 November for which elaborate arrangements have been put in place.
As the minorities in Pakistan celebrate their religious festivities and enjoy freedom of religion, we note with growing concern how minorities in India, particularly Muslims, are being systematically persecuted and ostracized under the Hindutva driven ideology of the BJP-RSS combine. It is reprehensible that targeting of Muslims, their properties and houses of worship is continuing since last month. Extent of impunity and state complicity is such that draconian laws are being slapped against those drawing attention to the ongoing blatant violations. Besides closing its eyes to radical mobs, the Indian authorities are also pursuing anti-Muslim citizenship related policies and actions, including the mischievous NRC scheme aimed at disenfranchising millions of Muslims.
In the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), notwithstanding India’s theatrics and portrayal of false sense of normalcy, there are increasing concerns about the deteriorating security situation and escalating violations of human rights and international humanitarian law – all to the detriment of ordinary Kashmiris.
We strongly condemn killing of two more Kashmiris by Indian occupation forces yesterday. Since 1st October, 21 Kashmiris have been martyred in fake encounters and so-called “cordon and search operations”.
In this context a matter of deep concern is the deployment of thousands of additional Indian occupation troops in IIOJK, which is already the world’s most militarized zone with over 900,000 occupation forces. It is clearly designed to further brutalize the oppressed Kashmiri people through the barrel of the gun. However, it is also evident that this cannot deter the Kashmiri people from their legitimate struggle for self-determination. Kashmiris are increasingly alienated from India and its illegal occupation whose barbarity is more than evident to the world. It is time for India to realize the futility of the military approach. Jammu and Kashmir dispute must be resolved in line with international legitimacy and in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council.
With this is I conclude and am ready to take your questions on these or other foreign policy related matters.
