ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has reaffirmed its commitment to engage with Afghanistan on all aspects of cooperation and concern, including issues relating to terror threats.

At her weekly news briefing here on Thursday, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch urged Afghan authorities to fulfil their promises that their soil will not be used for terrorism against Pakistan.

She said it was their responsibility to ensure that their land was not used against Pakistan, and Afghan authorities had accepted this responsibility on various occasions.

On the situation in India-held Kashmir, Ms Baloch said that since August 5, 2019, over 780 Kashmiris had been martyred by occupation forces.

FO says India’s unabated repression fails to break the will of Kashmiris

She said India’s unabated repression over the last seven decades had failed to break the will of Kashmiris for the right to self-determination.

She said Pakistan would continue to support its Kashmiri brothers and sisters in their just struggle against Indian oppression till the realisation of their inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in the UN Security Council resolutions.

In reply to a question, the spokesperson said the Indus Water Treaty was an important document that had served both Pakistan and India. She said Pakistan was committed to its full implementation and hoped that India would remain committed to it.

She said the UN Human Rights Council recently adopted a historic resolution presented by Pakistan on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) which condemned any advocacy of religious hatred, including the recent acts of desecration of the Holy Quran and underscored the need for holding the perpetrators to account.

She said Pakistan shared the disappointment of OIC member states that despite its balanced and apolitical nature, this important resolution was put to vote on fallacious grounds, derailing the council’s consensus.

The spokesperson said Pakistan believed that the Human Rights Council must speak with one voice on the issue of Islamophobia which affects human rights, fundamental freedoms, dignity and identity of over two billion Muslims.

She said Pakistan would continue to take lead in raising global awareness about Islamophobia and xenophobia and fostering interfaith dialogue, harmony and peaceful coexistence.

The FO spokesperson said that Azerbaijan’s Minister for Digital Develo­pment and Transport would undertake a three-day visit to Pakistan from Monday.

She said the visiting minister would meet Pakistani counterparts in the ministries of Information Technology, Aviation, Communications, Railways and Maritime Affairs and explore bilateral cooperation in the areas of connectivity and Information Technology.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2023

Opinion

Editorial

Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...
Islamabad protest
Updated 20 Nov, 2024

Islamabad protest

As Nov 24 draws nearer, both the PTI and the Islamabad administration must remain wary and keep within the limits of reason and the law.
PIA uncertainty
20 Nov, 2024

PIA uncertainty

THE failed attempt to privatise the national flag carrier late last month has led to a fierce debate around the...
T20 disappointment
20 Nov, 2024

T20 disappointment

AFTER experiencing the historic high of the One-day International series triumph against Australia, Pakistan came...