External comments on Pakistan’s internal matters inaccurate: FO

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office Friday said some of the external commentary made with regard to the PTI, human rights situation and ban on journalists in Pakistan was based on inaccurate and an incomplete picture of the situation.

Speaking at the weekly media briefing here, the spokeswoman said, “We believe some of this commentary is based on inaccurate and incomplete picture about the situation in Pakistan. The Government of Pakistan has explained the developments of this week during several press conferences held by government ministers. I would advise you to refer to those statements.”

The spokeswoman was asked to comment on remarks made by the EU Ambassador to Pakistan, Riina Kionka, who had tweeted about the arrest of senior journalist Matiullah Jan, and a statement made by the British MP Hamish Falconer, in the UK Parliament in support of Matiullah Jan. However, the spokeswoman refrained from a direct response but remarked, “Regarding the circumstances of the arrest of Matiullah Jan, the Ministry of Information will be in a position to comment, as they are the lead ministry with regard to issues relating to the media in Pakistan”.

The issue of visas to Pakistani nationals by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) once again echoed at the Foreign Office, including reports about fresh restrictions being placed by the UAE authorities. “We do not subscribe to the impression that there is a ban on visas for Pakistanis. Pakistanis continue to travel to the UAE. Any issues about the issuance of visas to Pakistani nationals remain on the bilateral agenda between our two countries. They are important agenda items and we continue to discuss these with the United Arab Emirates,” said the spokeswoman.

She pointed out that granting visas to an individual was the sovereign right and decision of the country concerned. When asked about details of fresh restrictions which reportedly had been imposed by the UAE government, the spokeswoman said she would not get into these details and she had not seen any document related to fresh restrictions so could not comment on these reports. To another query about more than 5,000 Pakistanis in the UAE jails, the spokeswoman said she could not confirm the figures about the number of Pakistanis there. About reports on the Pakistanis involved in illegal activities in the UAE, the spokeswoman said, “We have said repeatedly, and I reiterate today, our message to overseas Pakistanis is, to respect the laws, customs and culture of the country where they are living. They are the representatives of the people of Pakistan, and we urge them to respect the laws, customs and culture of the country where they are based. We also urge Pakistanis who are interested in traveling abroad to use legal means to travel abroad and not to fall prey to illegal rackets and smugglers including human smugglers for their own personal safety”.

The issue of Afghan nationals’ participation in the recent protests by the PTI in Islamabad was also brought up. “We believe that the participation of foreign nationals in any political activity in Pakistan is unacceptable. We expect all foreigners in Pakistan to respect Pakistani laws and customs. About the participation of Afghan nationals in the protest this week, the Ministry of Interior has already shared the details. Details of the policy concerning the continued stay of Afghan nationals in Islamabad will also be released by the Ministry of Interior,” she clarified.

Commenting on the recent meeting between Pakistan’s Charge d’ Affaires to Afghanistan and Afghanistan’s Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob, the spokeswoman said it was the responsibility of their diplomats based in Afghanistan to engage with the officials and leadership of the Afghan interim government. “The meeting of our head of mission in Kabul with the defence minister of Afghanistan was in this context. The two sides discussed matters of mutual interest. All aspects of bilateral interest from both sides were discussed. I do not believe that we should be sharing details with the media about the discussions that took place in this meeting,” she said. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar will undertake an official visit to Mashhad, Iran, from December 2-3 to attend the 28th Meeting of The Council of Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization. He will also sign the ‘Charter for ECO Clean Energy Centre’ and hold bilateral meetings with the participating ministers and other dignitaries on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting.