FO says India involved in anti-state activities inside tribal areas
By Qudssia Akhlaque
ISLAMABAD, Oct 1: The Foreign Office has said that there are ‘indications’ of Indian involved in anti-state activities inside Pakistan’s tribal areas.
At a weekly press briefing here on Monday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said: “We have indications of Indian involvement with anti-state elements in Pakistan and yes, this is an issue which we would take up at the forthcoming meeting of the Anti-Terrorism Mechanism.”
Asked if Pakistan had ruled out any military option concerning Siachen, she said: “We have had wars in the past, they have not helped us resolve these issues. The only way we can make progress and find a solution to these disputes is through dialogue which we are pursuing.”
Ms Aslam said Pakistan would raise the issue of Siachen during the composite dialogue and seek a clarification from India. “We are trying to find a solution to this problem. We have given some very workable proposals to India. The hopes of people of both countries were raised when Indian prime minister also said that the solution to the Siachen issue was imminent and that it should be made a mountain of peace. We want it to be a zone of disengagement.”
“We are very disappointed that India went ahead with a decision (opening glacier to tourists) can only vitiate the climate,” she added.
When asked if India had opted out of the IPI gas pipeline project given that it was not part of the talks held in Tehran, Ms Aslam said: “I won’t put it that way. India has not conveyed to us that it is out of this project. Discussions with India are continuing and they would continue.” However, she underlined that Pakistan had very acute energy requirement and was determined to go ahead with the project whether India joined it or not.
FATA: On the call for a policy review in the tribal areas, Ms Aslam said: “Policies always evolve. They are under continuous scrutiny. If any policy is not working, it is modified, and loopholes are removed.”
She maintained that Pakistan was pursuing a comprehensive strategy in Waziristan and other tribal areas marred by violence. “If one aspect of that strategy is not working, may be there would be emphasis on the other, but it is not uni-focal.”
She reiterated that Pakistan did not believe that military action alone could resolve these problems. “We have to have a comprehensive strategy and even at present the government is engaged with the tribal elders and the peace jirgas are going on. It is a comprehensive policy which has many elements and many aspects.”
Asked about Pakistan’s gain in playing a front line role in the war on terror for the last seven years, the spokesperson said: “Well, I do not have a balance sheet to show you. But we should not look at this cooperation as if it is something we did to get some thing from others…If we are part of the international effort to fight terrorism, we are doing it for ourselves. This is not something for sale.”
UK: When the spokesperson’s attention was drawn to the report that the British authorities had called the PTI chief Imran Khan to London in connection with the charges he filed against the MQM chief and asked if the British authorities had also approached the Government of Pakistan in this regard, she said: “No, not to my knowledge.”
CMAG: To a question about the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group’s reiteration of its demand for separation of the two offices of the President at its last meeting, she said: “The President of Pakistan has repeatedly said that he would follow the Constitution and these issues would be settled according to the constitutional provisions and Pakistani law.”
REFUGEES: On the recent meeting between the UN Secretary General and Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan on the issue of repatriation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan, the spokesperson said: “The problem as we see it is that the UNHCR and the international community have not been able to mobilise sufficient funds for the resettlement of the refugees inside Afghanistan.”
PROTEST: Ms Aslam termed the use of brute force by police against journalists and lawyers during opposition protest over the weekend as an “unfortunate event” and declared it did not reflect the true image of Pakistan.
“It was an unfortunate event. When we talk about Pakistan’s image abroad, we all have to think about it. It is the responsibility of the government, it is also the responsibility of civil society, the ordinary people because in our individual capacities we are all contributing to that image,” she said.
