US conditions on F-16s sale unacceptable: foreign secretary

Says whenever Pak-India rapprochement about to happen,
non-state actors sabotage it; talks sans Kashmir not possible

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry on Saturday said that Pakistan needed modern F-16 fighter jets for its ongoing war against terrorism but rejected the conditions the United States had attached with their sale. 

He said whenever some breakthrough between Pakistan and India occurred, the non-state actors triggard some incident. He said if some country had problem with China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Pakistan knew how to deal with it. Aizaz Chaudhry said that the Kashmir issue should be resolved while adopting any method. He said if Kashmir issue was resolved through multilateral efforts, resolutions of United Nations were there and if India was ready to resolve Kashmir issue through bilateral basis, Pakistan was ready for this.

Speaking with journalists, scholars and corporate leaders at a breakfast meeting in Islamabad, the foreign secretary said no conditions should be attached to the sale of F-16s because Pakistan planned to use the jets only for the purpose of fighting terrorists.

Commenting on the stalled dialogue between India and Pakistan, the foreign secretary said Pakistan had made it clear to India that the issue of Kashmir could not be skipped from the talks.

"Whenever there are talks between Pakistan and India, Kashmir will remain on top of the agenda," he said.

He said the arrest of Indian spy Kul Bushan Yadhav from Balochistan had verified India's involvement in Pakistan's internal affairs.

He admitted, however, that there was trust deficit between Pakistan and India which needed to be removed for better ties between the two nations.

The foreign secretary said Daesh had no organised presence in Pakistan, and only a few people had claimed an association with the terrorist organisation.

"Pakistani agencies are on alert in order to deal with any possible threat, therefore action has been taken against such elements," he said.

Chaudhry rejected the option to use military action to curb turmoil in Afghanistan, saying all warring factions in Afghanistan should shun violence and come on the table to negotiate for regional peace.