Bilawal never approached UAE for Arshad Sharif’s extradition: FO

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made it clear that Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had not approached the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at any point of time for the extradition of journalist Arshad Sharif from Dubai.

Addressing a weekly media briefing, the Foreign Office spokesman said, “There is no such letter to our knowledge. We have seen reports, spreading disinformation on social media as well, where some people were suggesting that there was a letter and it was allegedly signed by the foreign minister. I would like to say very clearly, this is absolutely baseless; there is no truth in it whatsoever and even the matter does not relate to the Foreign Ministry“.

He held out an assurance that any information that would be available related to the tragic murder of the senior journalist would be shared at the appropriate forum. Replying to a volley of questions about the late journalist, murdered in Kenya, he responded, ”This is a very serious matter, which is why it requires detailed investigations. There cannot be anything out of the box. This is not that kind of a situation. At present, there is no Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) mechanism between Pakistan and Kenya, but we have been assured of full cooperation in this matter”.

He added that the Prime Minister in his telephonic conversation with the Kenyan President had also requested it and the Kenyan President had very kindly agreed to the request (for cooperation).

“The two-member team whose mandate is to ascertain the facts related to the murder is on its way to Kenya. They have left this morning and will be there tonight. We have been in touch with Kenyan authorities at various levels in Islamabad and in Nairobi to facilitate the visit and we look forward to full cooperation and coordination to facilitate the work of the team,” he said.

About the ongoing investigation, the spokesman added that an incident had happened which needed to be investigated properly. “I think it would only be proper for me to say that we need to wait for the outcome of the investigation, what the Kenyan authorities will formally come up with and what this team will report back”, he added. The spokesman gave a rare shut-up call to a journalist who asked why the Foreign Office was condoling with the family of the late journalist who faced charges of mutiny and treason. “Our statements are quite clear and I don’t feel the need to respond to your somewhat twisted comments. We should be sensitive, a life has been lost“.

To a query about foreign media reports about restrictions on freedom of speech in Pakistan and the country being unsafe for journalists, the spokesman replied, “I think more than me, all of you, our dear friends and colleagues can judge this and comment on it.

We are always guided by your opinion. But I think, given the evolution of the private media in Pakistan in recent years, we can say with confidence that the media in Pakistan is quite free and there are no threats as such with regard to free and fair reporting by journalists and we see this on a daily basis; free debate on our television screens and in print and electronic media. As a matter of policy, Pakistan is committed to freedom of expression and opinion”.

When asked to comments on remarks made by the ISI and ISPR DGs on the “cyphergate” in their press conference, the spokesman remarked, “Just to recall for you, if you have been following our briefings, we have on a number of occasions very clearly stated the position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this matter. The Foreign Office and officials of the institution have handled the matter in a very professional manner and with complete integrity”.