——- FM Spox says Fazl not visiting Kabul as govt representative
——- Aims to seek briefing from Maulana on Kabul visit
——- Avers govt not supporting visit
——- Asserts “politician gone to Afghanistan in private capacity”
From Asghar Ali Mubarak
ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) stated on Monday that Pakistan was “not interested” in holding a dialogue with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
In a weekly media briefing, FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, clarifying Pakistan’s stance, stated that the TTP has accepted responsibility for numerous terrorist attacks in the country. “Our demand from the Afghan government is that they take action against the terrorists,” she said.
The spokesperson added that the Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s visit to Afghanistan was neither on behalf of the Government of Pakistan nor the FO.
“The Foreign Office had given a briefing to Maulana Fazlur Rehman before his visit. He has gone on his own his own volition,” the spokesperson added, reiterating that the party leader was not visiting Kabul as a representative of Pakistan.
The FO’s statement comes just as the JUI-F chief ‘pledged’ to revive talks between Pakistan and the TTP. A day earlier, Maulana Fazl met with Afghanistan’s supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada in Kabul wherein it was assured that the next elections in Pakistan would be held peacefully and efforts would be made for the resumption of Islamabad’s talks with the banned TTP.
The Afghan government also demanded that Islamabad play its role in the elimination of Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) as well as chalk out a visa-free policy on the Chaman border alongside a soft plan on the expulsion of its refugees.
Kandahar Governor Mullah Shirin Akhund had promised a meeting of Haibatullah with the JUI-F chief on his visit to Kabul, but declined a huddle with other delegates. Fazl and Haibatullah discussed the TTP, ISKP, border management, soft visa policy, and refugees during their one-on-one meeting.
The JUI-F chief promised that he would take up the issues of Kabul with the relevant quarters in Islamabad, but pressed the sureties of a ceasefire till peaceful elections in Pakistan, a source said. Furthermore, Baloch informed the press that the interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar will be embarking on an official visit to Switzerland from January 15 to January 19.
“For the first time, the Global Health Security conference has been held in Islamabad in which more than 70 delegations have participated,” she further informed, adding that the caretaker foreign minister highlighted the salience of the global partnership in combating epidemics in the future. The conference in Islamabad is scheduled to conclude today.
Regarding South Africa’s case against Israel subjecting Palestinians to genocide in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the spokesperson said that Pakistan appreciated South Africa’s move.
“However, Pakistan will not be commenting on the relations or differences between sovereign countries.” she maintained.
The spokesperson said that Pakistan demands an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and end to the massacre of Palestinians. “We believe in the two-state solution – a solution in which Palestine has pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds as its capital,” Baloch further commented.
Speaking about terrorism, Baloch told journalists that Pakistan, along with Afghanistan and Iran, will continue to work together in its efforts against terrorism.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the terrorist attack in Kerman, Iran,” the spokesperson stated.
Regarding Kashmir, Baloch said that for the past 70 years, India has been denying the right of self-determination to Kashmiris. “We have not seen Ajay Bisaria’s book. We have only seen the discussions on it on social media,” the spokesperson said.
“India has been using the Pulwama incident for political purposes,” she maintained, and stated that the Balakot incident was a nightmare for India. “The Pakistan Air Force had shot down an Indian jet,” she said.
