May 29, 2007	Tuesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 12, 1428

ISLAMABAD, May 28: Amid the international community’s mounting concern about Pakistan’s volatile internal situation and emphatic calls for rule of law and protection of civil rights in the country, the government on Monday hit back, saying comments from abroad were not welcomed.

Addressing a weekly news briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam categorically stated: “We don’t go around expressing concern about domestic issues in other countries, and believe me every country has skeletons, not that I’m saying it’s a skeleton. But there is an issue that is being addressed in the Supreme Court and we do not expect other countries to comment on that.”

She was responding to a question regarding serious concerns expressed by key world capitals about the ongoing judicial crisis.

The spokesperson confirmed that the head of the European Union had addressed a letter to President Gen Pervez Musharraf expressing concern about Pakistan’s domestic situation. She, however, did not go into the specifics.

Ms Aslam was non-committal when asked if the president would respond to the letter and left it at: “Yes, a letter was received and if we deem (it) fit we will respond.”

She was equally dismissive of a question regarding the German foreign minister’s concern about the Chief Justice issue and the Karachi carnage. When asked to throw light “on the mood of other countries” on these particular issues, she snapped back: “Their mood is their problem.”

The spokesperson told another journalist that he was being “very presumptuous” by suggesting that there was widespread concern over Pakistan’s domestic situation. She emphasised that the Foreign Office was not the forum to raise domestic issues.

EU KASHMIR REPORT: Commenting on Baroness Emma Nicholson’s Report on Kashmir adopted by the European Parliament last week, the spokesperson while pointing to the many factual inaccuracies it contained noted: “All Kashmiris have rejected it unanimously.”

When her attention was drawn to the fact that the report had nullified UN Security Council resolutions which called for self-determination of Kashmiris on the basis of plebiscite, she categorically stated: “The European Parliament does not have the mandate or locus standi to nullify UN Security Council resolutions. Only the UN Security Council can do that.”

Noting that the report also talked about the issue of judiciary and the rights of homosexuals in Pakistan, the spokesperson observed: “This shows the credibility of this report.”

She disagreed with the view that adoption of the report was “utter failure” of Pakistan’s foreign policy and said that the report even though not balanced was an improvement on the first draft. She pointed out that 450 amendments were tabled of which over 100 were adopted.

She underscored: “As for the success of Pakistan’s policy on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, we measure it by the response of Kashmiris. Pakistan’s position and policy on Kashmir resonates with the Kashmiri people.