No high-level contacts with US: Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: While Pakistan reiterated on Thursday that there were no high-level contacts with the US at present, nevertheless, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif intends to visit Washington dates of which are being worked out.

Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria appeared to be unaware that a meeting between the National Security Adviser (NSA) Lt. Gen (retd) Nasser Janjua and the US Ambassador David Hale had taken place on Thursday.

Also on the cards is a visit to New York by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to attend the yearly session of the United States General Assembly. These visits will come in the wake of reports from Washington where “the Congress was notified by the Trump administration that it was putting $255 million in military assistance into an escrow account that Islamabad can only access if it does more to crack down on terror networks.”

Pakistan has strongly rejected all the allegations and insinuations regarding the presence of any safe havens of terrorists in its territory and says the US Commander in Kabul Gen Nicholson’s accusations are highly unwarranted and unacceptable.

These interactions by the prime minister and the foreign minister, the government feels, will help “allay” misperceptions and resolve differences between the two governments.

“The foreign minister intends to share Pakistan’s perspective on the elements of President Trump’s statement and other bilateral issues during his future interaction with the US leadership.  (In this regard) Pakistan is undertaking internal deliberations among all stakeholders as evident from the deliberations in Parliament and discussions in the National Security Committee”, the spokesman told the weekly media briefing here.

While threats and accusations by President Donald Trump have ruffled feathers in Pakistan, the spokesman said in bilateral relations there are ways to resolve differences. “In inter-state relations, there can be differences over issues between two countries, for which there would be established channels of communication through which misperceptions could be allayed and differences resolved”, he added.

He pointed out that Pakistan had longstanding relationship with the US. “Our areas of cooperation are diverse and multi-dimensional, including cooperation in Science & Technology, non-proliferation, counter-terrorism and trade & investment”, he said.

Despite this, the government insists that there is no military solution to the complex Afghan conflict. “This is a lesson discernable from the long history of Afghanistan. Pakistan has instead advocated for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned political solution which in our estimation offers the best prospects of peace in the region. Until all the stake holders pursue a viable and workable political settlement, the region will continue to suffer instability. Also, I would like to state that the Afghan war cannot be fought on the Pakistani soil”, the spokesman remarked.

To a query, the spokesman did not give details of other capitals that the foreign minister intends to visit to share Pakistan’s perspective on the regional issues, but pointed out, “A number of countries have noted Pakistan’s sacrifices and contribution in the fight against terrorism. In line with the guidance by Parliament and the National Security Council, we are in regular contact with all the friendly countries in the region as we believe that a regional and political approach is best suited to address the challenges in Afghanistan, and also in the larger regional context”.

Just a day before celebration of Eidul Azha, the spokesman said that this was also a time to remember that the oppressed brothers and sisters in the Indian occupied Kashmir continue to be brutalised.

“The Indian occupation forces, in their effort to suppress the indigenous legitimate Kashmiri movement for self-determination have martyred four Kashmiris in Hanin, Bandipora and Pulwama areas. 

Over 40 defenseless Kashmiris were injured after Indian forces used brute force and barged into houses in Pulwama, Pampore, Shopian, Srinagar, and Hajin areas.  We strongly condemn these brutal acts of the Indian forces in the Indian Held Kashmir (IHK) and urge the UN and international community to hold India accountable for these crimes against innocent civilians”, he said.