Pakistan stands by Afghan women’s rights: FO

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday came out strongly to support Afghan women, including their right to education and their right to their voice in the public sphere, stressing that this is not only their inherent right but something that has been guaranteed to them by Islam.

The issue of the recent Afghan interim government’s decision to pass laws imposing strict restrictions on women which included denying them education was raised at the Foreign Office on Thursday.

In response to the query, the FO spokesperson responded, “Pakistan’s position on the rights of women and girls, especially for their inherent right to education, is clear and consistent. We believe that every man and woman have the inherent right to education, in accordance with the injunctions of Islam, and Islam grants equal access to education and women’s rights. Islam, we believe, is an egalitarian religion that guarantees the women, the right to education and to inherit their own property. It also guarantees their voice in public sphere and the right to a decent life free of violence. The Constitution of Pakistan guarantees these rights to women of Pakistan and we wish similar rights for women everywhere.”

However, the spokesperson was still not ready to share which member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) had accepted the SCO Heads of Government Meeting, next month as reports indicated that the Chinese prime minister had accepted the invitation but there was no news about who would attend from Russia and India. “Pakistan has extended invitation to all Heads of Governments of Member States of SCO. At this point, we are not in a position to share with you the details of the guests who are coming,” she responded.

When asked about a statement from the US State Department said that the US was standing with Pakistan against terrorism and it was willing and ready to give every type of assistance in this matter, whether she would share the type of assistance the US was offering, she said: “Pakistan and the United States have a long history of cooperation in the domain of counter terrorism, and the dialogue between our two countries on counter terrorism is also a constant feature. So these conversations continue on a regular basis. I have nothing additional to share with you.”

While Saarc has been dormant for several decades now with no summit taking place, the spokesperson, to a query, said she believed the cooperation between Pakistan and Bangladesh will further contribute to enhancing peace and friendship in the region, and will also contribute to the further development of Saarc as a robust institution. Pakistan, she added, has always said that it wishes to have robust, multifaceted, friendly relations with Bangladesh, which is an important partner for Pakistan and a brotherly Muslim country. “There is an immense goodwill between the peoples of our two countries, and we want our bilateral relations to prosper,” she said.

To a query about thousands of Pakistani prisoners in jails abroad, she said efforts by Pakistani missions abroad are being undertaken in facilitating Pakistani nationals abroad, including those who are arrested and those who are in prison.

About reports that Iran would be moving to international arbitration about the IP gas pipeline as Pakistan has not constructed the agreed-upon pipeline on its territory, the FO spokesperson said that Pakistan remains engaged with Iran on resolving any issues that arise from time to time.

Islamabad is in talks with Washington over country’s energy security.

Meanwhile, the 23rd Meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Economic and Foreign Trade Activity (MMFETA) of the SCO member states will be held in Islamabad on September 12, 2024. In a related development, the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS) unanimously elected Faizan Mansoor, Chairman Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority, as the President for Tenth Review Meeting of the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS).