ISLAMABAD Feb 17: Pakistan on Monday stated that so far as it was concerned, diplomatic relations with India still existed and said it would be very unfortunate if New Delhi snapped diplomatic ties with Islamabad.
Asked to comment on the reported statement by foreign minister in parliament recently, indicating that a resolution might be tabled to break off diplomatic ties with Pakistan, foreign office spokesman Aziz Ahmad Khan told his weekly news briefing, that where the status of Islamabad’s diplomatic relations with India was concerned, it still existed.
Visas awaited by replacements to fill the vacant posts of acting high commissioners in the two capitals were expected to be issued on Tuesday after which travel plans to assume their assignments could be finalized, the spokesman said.
The acting high commissioners of Pakistan and India were compelled to quit their posts in the two capitals earlier this month in a tit-for-tat act initiated by India.
Replying to another question, the spokesman ruled out any chance of a meeting between President General Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in the Malaysian capital of Kaula Lumpur during the Non-Aligned summit scheduled to be held there from Feb 24.
Mr Khan emphasized the importance of the NAM summit in spite of the diminished role of the Non-Aligned Movement which once consisted of a large number of important countries, saying that even in the changed international situation NAM should serve as a useful forum to discuss and exchange views on issues of peace and security vital for global peace.
Prime Minister Mir Jafar Khan Jamali, the spokesman said, was scheduled to meet US president George W. Bush towards the end of March this year, during his first official visit to the United States. “Obviously, it is going to be a very important meeting at the level of heads of government,” the spokesman said. He pointed out that Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri had recently concluded a useful extended visit to the US during which he had wide-ranging discussions with American officials and executives.
The spokesman said Islamabad had not yet decided on pulling out its embassy staff from Baghdad because of the threat of war, and reiterated that all embassy staff members were functioning as usual. Only non-essential staff and officials’ families had been advised to return home. Other Pakistanis residing in Iraq would also be advised to make arrangements for their return if a need arose.
The spokesman once again rejected Indian allegations about Pakistan launching cross-border infiltration into the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir, describing them as baseless. He said it was India which shied away from facing a credible verification of its allegations while Pakistan had insisted on posting on adequate force or UN observers on both sides of the Line of Control to monitor any alleged infiltrations.
Pakistan had consistently followed the internationally accepted model of holding talks and dialogue for removing inter- state irritants and disputes, the spokesman observed, when asked for comment on a reported statement by the Indian prime minister to adopt the “Chinese model” in resolving border disputes. All international issues and differences required to be discussed and resolved by holding negotiations across the table according to accepted international practice and norms.
Replying to question, the spokesman said he said, there had been reportedly a move by the current OIC chairman (Qatar) for an emergency summit meeting, but it was believed that such a summit at present suffered from some procedural difficulties.
The spokesman hoped that the postponed Saarc summit scheduled for March which would be rescheduled for later this year although the dates remained to be finalized with the assistance of the Saarc secretariat.