ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has once again made it clear that any expanded Indian role in Afghanistan will not be in the interest of the region.
At his weekly news briefing in Islamabad on Friday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakariya said that India was engaged in using terrorist outfits against Pakistan. “We have provided credible evidence in this regard.”
He said Pakistan had repeatedly emphasised for an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led reconciliation process for the resolution of the Afghan conflict.
The spokesperson said Pakistan had always participated in the processes aimed at bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan. “In future also, we will continue to support all such initiatives be it the Quadrilateral Coordination Group, Heart of Asia and others.”
Describing the meeting with the US delegation as constructive and fruitful, the spokesperson said both the sides agreed to remain engaged to address common challenges. “The meeting discussed bilateral relations, regional security situation, including Afghanistan and the Pak-US cooperation in the regional context.”
He pointed out that terrorists were a common enemy and added all the countries needed to work together to tackle this menace. “The success of our anti-terror operations is testimony to the fact that Pakistan has taken action against terrorists.”
Highlighting the Indian atrocities against hapless Kashmiri people in Indian-held Kashmir, Nafees Zakariya said that expeditious resolution of Kashmir dispute in accordance with the United Nations resolutions and aspirations of the Kashmiri people was imperative and the UN has had a responsibility to that end.
The spokesperson said that escalation of Indian atrocities against Kashmiris and silence of international community on the matter was a matter of serious concern. He said that respect for human rights should be effectively and equitably implemented and not selectively allowed to take a back seat to political or economic expediency.
He added that the European Union, which considers itself as the custodian of human rights, needed to take a principled and proactive stance against Indian atrocities. “They owe it to the Kashmiri people.”
He described the successful rescue of a Western couple by the Pakistan Army as an example of cooperation between Pakistan and the United States. “Pakistan is prepared to take action on the basis of actionable intelligence sharing and effective cooperation in counter-terrorism efforts,” he said.
