ISLAMABAD: Pakistan officially announced on Thursday that an invitation has been sent to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to participate in the Heads of Government of SCO meeting in October. “I can confirm that invitations have been extended to all Heads of Government of SCO member countries, including the prime minister of India, for the forthcoming meeting of Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. This meeting is scheduled to take place in Islamabad on October 15-16.
“We are not in a position to share the responses at this stage. Further updates will be shared in due course,” the spokeswoman at the Foreign Office (FO) told the weekly media briefing.
The SCO Heads of Government meeting in Islamabad will be preceded by ministerial meetings, and several rounds of senior officials meeting in different areas.
To a query on trade ties with India, the spokeswoman remarked, “Pakistan does not have bilateral trade relations with India. With respect to data on trade and any indirect imports and exports that may be taking place, I would refer you to the Ministry of Commerce, which would have a clearer picture on this issue”.
She made it very clear that Pakistan rejects any idea of holding talks with the TTP. “As I said in the past, Pakistan has no plans to engage in any talks with TTP. We believe that such offers are an affront to thousands of victims of TTP, who have been killed in Pakistan. Pakistan, therefore, advises the Afghan authorities to take action against the TTP and other terror groups that continue to threaten Pakistan’s security and who have been involved in killing of Pakistani nationals in Pakistani territory,” she added.
In this regard, she pointed out that the use of Afghan soil for terrorist acts in Pakistan is well established. “Pakistan has expressed its concerns on this issue on several occasions, including in our bilateral communications with the Afghan authorities. Pakistan has shared concrete evidence of the involvement of individuals based in Afghanistan in terrorist incidents inside Pakistan. The presence of terror groups including TTP in Afghanistan is confirmed by multiple independent reports, including by the United Nations. We expect the Afghan authorities to take concrete and robust action against these terror groups and prevent their activities that endanger Pakistan’s security,” she added.
To a query that Pakistan was deep in debt with China because of CPEC, the spokeswoman pointed out that Pakistan’s total public debt relating to CPEC projects is a small percentage of its total debt. “China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a transformational project that has contributed positively and transparently to Pakistan’s national development. It enjoys support and popularity in all provinces of Pakistan and across the political divide in Pakistan. CPEC is a long term project that has helped address development gaps in energy, infrastructure, industrialisation and job creation. Moreover, the public debt obtained from China has longer maturity periods with low interest rates,” she explained.
To a query regarding China and the UAE accepting Afghan ambassadors and Pakistan’s plans in this regard, the spokeswoman said that Pakistan’s position regarding the recognition of the interim Afghan government has been clear since the outset.
“We will take any decision on recognition in consultation with our regional partners. For Pakistan, counter-terrorism is a major concern that Afghanistan must address,” she said.
About news on the social media regarding the British High Commissioner in Pakistan asking for release of Imran Khan, the spokeswoman said the Foreign Office did not comment on social media speculations.
In her opening statement, the spokeswoman said Pakistan strongly condemns the bombing of historic Grand Mosque in Khan Younis, Gaza, by the Israeli occupation forces. Pakistan in this regard called on the UN Security Council to take urgent and concrete measures to end these blatant violations of international law; and the UN Charter; protect the Palestinian people; and hold Israel accountable for its egregious violations of international humanitarian law and the genocide and war crimes in Gaza.
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