N-ties not linked with democracy, says FO
ISLAMABAD, Jan 30: Pakistan on Monday made it clear that while it was cooperating with the international community in the war against terrorism the effective measures it had taken to fight this scourge were primarily prompted by its own national interest.
“We are doing what we are doing in our national interest,” said Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam in response to questions at a weekly news briefing here.
“Terrorism is a phenomenon that disrupts progress and development of societies. We, therefore, cannot tolerate terrorism and are determined to root it out,” she emphatically declared.
In the fight against terrorism, Pakistan is cooperating with the international community, including United States, the spokesperson said. However, she underlined: “Pakistan is fighting terrorism first and foremost in its own national interest.” Commenting on editorials published in a couple of American newspapers, the spokesperson said: “The recent comments that Pakistan is not doing enough to eliminate terrorist elements said to be hiding along Pakistan-Afghan border show lack of knowledge of the area straddling Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Whenever specific information becomes available the Pakistani security forces act properly, promptly and effectively.”
Referring to effective action taken by Pakistan on Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, she asserted: “The allegations appearing in a section of the US media have therefore no basis.” She pointed out that almost all Al Qaeda activists and leaders apprehended so far have been due to the efforts of Pakistan, saying that it was “acknowledged and appreciated” by the international community.
“This has been done in a number meetings ... at the highest level. “President Bush also did so publicly,” she added.
US ENVOY: Ms Aslam clarified that the foreign ministry had never said the US ambassador was summoned by the Foreign Office after the Bajaur incident. However, she hastened to add: “It’s not that we would have not summoned him but because Senator Kerry was visiting Pakistan that day and the ambassador was busy with his meetings, therefore the protest was lodged at the prime minister’s office by the foreign secretary.”
She said it was incorrect to infer that a protest had not been lodged.
When asked about the impact of the protest lodged, she referred to President Musharraf’s statement that Pakistan had been assured that there would be no repetition of similar incidents in future.
The spokesperson refused to go into the specifics of who gave this assurance and left it at: “It was done at a very high level.”
CIVIL N-TECH: Ms Aslam denied reports that Pakistan had been told by the US government that its request for civilian nuclear technology cooperation could not be considered because of its track record on nuclear proliferation. She maintained: “In the energy mix that we are developing we have nuclear energy as a very important element,” she explained. “This is a legitimate need and it becomes more acute in view of the fact that Pakistan is deficient in fossil fuel,” she maintained. Advocating Pakistan’s case for additional power plants Ms Aslam said: “Pakistan already has nuclear power plants that are fully covered by the IAEA safeguards and any additional nuclear power plants that we may acquire in future we would put them under IAEA safeguards.”
She rejected any attempt to link the question of civilian nuclear technology cooperation to the issue of democracy.
On the nuclear proliferation issue, the spokesperson drew attention to the fact that the IAEA had prepared a list of more than 300 companies involved in proliferation. She said while Pakistan’s connection in that was one, more than 300 were from other countries, mainly Western countries.
PIPELINE: When an elaboration was sought on President Musharraf’s recent comment that those who wanted to stop Pakistan from the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project should give it compensation, the spokesperson said she did not know what exactly the president had said. However, she said Pakistan was very serious in developing an energy pipeline from Iran, Qatar and Turkmenistan, adding that these projects were all intact.
When asked if Pakistan would consider giving up the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project if it were offered a viable alternative, the spokesperson declined to comment saying: “This is hypothetical.”
IRAN: Ms Aslam categorically stated that Pakistan was opposed to referring Iran’s nuclear issue to the UN Security Council. “We want it resolved peacefully through negotiations within the IAEA framework,” she said.
PALESTINIAN POLLS: She said Pakistan welcomed the parliamentary elections in Palestine and termed them as fair and transparent. She observed: “This is democracy, this is the will of the Palestinian people. We do hope that the peace process will continue and this would not have any impact on that.”
On the Palestine question, the spokesperson maintained. “We have repeatedly said that we support the establishment of the state of Palestine living in peace and security along with Israel,” she said.
INDIA-PAKISTAN: She said the Kashmir dispute was an international issue. “We do welcome the international efforts to help Pakistan and India resolve this long-standing dispute,” she added.
The spokesperson did not see a series of missile tests conducted by India as any cause of alarm.
AFGHANISTAN: On anti-Pakistan demonstrations in Afghanistan, Ms Aslam said: “We have asked the Afghan government to protect our personnel and property there and we have been assured this will be done.”
FOREIGN HAND: Asked if there was involvement of some foreign hand in the derailment of the Lahore-bound train on Sunday, Ms Aslam said the possibility of sabotage could not be ruled out. “The government has appointed a combined investigation team of various intelligence agencies and they are looking into the causes,” she told the briefing.
DENMARK: The spokesperson was non-committal on the question of whether Pakistan, like Saudi Arabia, would recall its ambassador from Denmark as a mark of protest over the publication of a blasphemous cartoon. Instead, she pointed to the strong exception that the OIC had taken to the publication and said it was engaged with the Danish government on the issue.
Referring to a similar publication in Norway for which the government had already conveyed its regrets, she said: “We do hope that Denmark would also try to resolve this issue because you cannot hurt the sentiments of billions of Muslims in the name of freedom of press.”