Pakistan and the US are “old friends and partners”, the Foreign Office spokesperson said on Thursday, but added that Donald Trump’s election as the new American President will not affect Islamabad’s ties with China.
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated President-elect Trump on his election as the 47th President of the US.
“Our relations with the United States are decades old, and we look forward to further strengthening and broadening Pakistan-US relationship in all fields,” Baloch said at the weekly briefing.
Responding to a question if Trump’s election will affect Pakistan-China ties, she said Islamabad’s relations with Beijing are “all-weather, strategic, and a source of stability” in the country’s foreign policy.
“This relationship has remained unaffected by developments around the world. So we do not need to even consider the possibility that this relationship will be affected by any domestic development in another country,” she said.
She added that Islamabad was fully committed to providing full security to Chinese nationals, projects and institutions in Pakistan.
To a question if Trump could influence Pakistan’s internal politics and the sitting government could also be pressured by him, she said it was “speculative reporting”.
Pakistan and the US “will continue to pursue our relations on the basis of mutual respect, mutual confidence and non-interference in each other’s domestic affairs,” she said.
Speaking on the Kashmir issue, Baloch said Pakistan’s position for Kashmir is well known and it has repeatedly underlined that it is the people of Jammu and Kashmir who will determine its future as it is an “internationally recognised disputed territory”.
“India must realise that it cannot suppress the genuine aspirations of the Kashmiri people through coercive tactics. It must respect the rights and freedoms of the people of Kashmir and their inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” she said.
Her remarks came after India slammed Pakistan for “peddling lies and falsehood” and using the UN forum for its “divisive, political agenda” after it raised the Kashmir issue at the UN. India has said no amount of disinformation and misinformation will change facts on the ground.
India has repeatedly told Pakistan that Jammu and Kashmir “was, is and shall forever” remain an integral part of the country. It has also advised Pakistan to accept the reality and stop all anti-India propaganda.
New Delhi has also told Islamabad that issues related to Jammu and Kashmir are its internal matter and the country is capable of solving its own problems.
During the briefing, Baloch said Pakistan looks forward to receiving Sikh pilgrims for the forthcoming birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, which is celebrated on November 15.
“Exchange of religious pilgrims between Pakistan and India takes place under the bilateral protocol of 1974 that remains operational. Pakistan will continue to facilitate pilgrims who wish to visit Pakistan on important religious occasions,” she said.
Responding to a question if any meeting would take place between Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of a climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan next week, she said, “At this point, no bilateral meeting is being fixed with the Prime Minister of India in Baku.”
She also talked about reports of the health of the incarcerated Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, who was observing a hunger strike.
“We urge the Indian authorities to provide quality medical care to Mr Malik and immediately release him,” she said.
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