By Asghar Ali Mubarak
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday said the government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was not in favour of brewing discords with other countries, however, stressed that it believed that no compromise should be made on national sovereignty and integrity.
Speaking to the officers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he said the vision of foreign policy in Naya Pakistan was about keeping national interests supreme.
The foreign minister said the PTI government did not support bloc politics at the international level.
He emphasized that attaining economic stability was vital to pursuing a strong foreign policy.
FM Qureshi mentioned several initiatives taken by the government at the foreign policy front including economic diplomacy, Engage Africa policy, Central Asia Vision policy, and the establishment of the Strategic Communication Division.
The foreign minister said the efforts of Pakistani diplomats were being acknowledged abroad and mentioned that the huge remittances sent by the diaspora was a reflection of this fact.
He lauded Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood and the officials of MoFA for the successful holding of the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Islamabad in March.
Earlier, Pakistan Thursday said “requisite demarches have been made” through diplomatic channels as decided earlier in the National Security Committee meeting, a statement from the Foreign Office said.
The National Security Committee, the country’s highest security forum that was summoned earlier in the day expressed grave concern at the communication from a country, and termed the language used by the foreign official as “undiplomatic.”
Prime Minister Imran Khan in a huge public gathering on March 27 said his government was being challenged through an internationally hatched conspiracy and vowed not to compromise on national security.
The Prime Minister said local actors were getting support from abroad to remove his government through a vote of no confidence.
“The Committee concluded that the communication amounted to blatant interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan by the country in question, which was unacceptable under any circumstances.”
The National Security Committee (NSC) was chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan and was attended by Federal Ministers of Defence, Energy, Information & Broadcasting, Interior, Finance, Human Rights, Planning, Development & Special Initiatives, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Services Chiefs, National Security Adviser and senior officers.
The National Security Adviser briefed the Committee on the formal communication of a senior official of a foreign country to Pakistan’s Ambassador in the said country in a formal meeting, which was duly conveyed by the Ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The Committee had decided to issue a strong demarche both in Islamabad and in the country’s capital through proper channels in keeping with diplomatic norms,” a statement issued at the end of the NSC meeting said.
The meeting also endorsed the Cabinet’s decision in the Special Cabinet meeting held on 30th March to take the parliament into confidence through an in-camera briefing of the National Security Committee of the Parliament.
