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ISLAMABAD, April 9: Pakistan in a veiled message to India on Monday underscored that political will was required to make a headway on the Siachen issue. “For progress on the Siachen issue political will is required,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said while responding to a question at the weekly news briefing.
Ms Aslam was non-committal when asked if from her statement it could be inferred that there was lack of political will to move forward on the Siachen issue. “I am not going to give a judgment,” she said. However, conveying Pakistan’s tacit disappointment at the outcome of the talks, she declared: “We had made a number of very reasonable proposals and expected a forward moment. We believe it is political will that is needed. I am not saying that lacked but that is what is required.”
She refused to categorise the latest round of Siachen talks as a failure or otherwise and said the press release issued by the Foreign Office afterwards explained the current status.
The spokesperson told a questioner that no specific dates had been set for the next meeting on Siachen but said the two sides had decided to remain in touch.
To a query if the Indian prime minister during his meeting with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz last week had indicated when he planned to visit Pakistan and had linked his trip to tangible progress on Siachen, the spokesperson said: “He (Manmohan Singh) did mention that he had accepted the invitation and would visit Pakistan.”
On the question of linking the visit to Siachen, she said that would be putting a pre-condition which was not up to Pakistan to fulfil.
KASHMIR REPORT: To a query regarding the negative elements in the revised EU draft report on Jammu and Kashmir which is to go before parliament for approval next month, the spokesperson said: “We hope that the European Parliament, which often claims to be a champion of human rights, would make it more balanced and in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.”
IPI PROJECT: On the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project, she said at present certain “technical issues” such as establishing a consortium were being discussed. Emphasising that Pakistan’s energy need was becoming acute by the day, she said it was determined to pursue the pipeline project.
Asked if Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz during his meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Delhi last week succeeded in appeasing him, the spokesperson snapped back: “The purpose of the meeting was not to appease President Karzai.”
She underscored that it was in the interest of both the neighbouring countries to maintain good relations.
The spokesperson was dismissive of the antagonistic statements given by the Afghan president about Pakistan on the eve of his meeting with the prime minister and simply said: “Such statements do not really deserve a response.”
JAMIA HAFSA: Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam termed as “absurd and ridiculous” the idea of Pakistan seeking the OIC intervention over the Jamia Hafsa issue. “It is essentially a law and order issue,” she told a questioner.
