Current Final

Tag: Foreign Office

  • FM Qureshi arrives in Kabul to hold important talks with Afghan leadership

    FM Qureshi arrives in Kabul to hold important talks with Afghan leadership

    Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday met interim Afghanistan Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund.

    FM Qureshi has arrived in Kabul for a day-long visit and is set to hold important talks with the Afghan leadership, a statement issued from the Foreign Office said.

    Ambassador of Pakistan to Afghanistan, Mansoor Ahmed Khan took to Twitter and wrote, “Bilateral talks underway in presence of leading Afghan Ministers for facilitating people to people interaction, trade, transit & connectivity between two brotherly nations.”

    The foreign minister’s visit reflects Pakistan’s consistent policy of supporting the brotherly Afghan people, deepening bilateral trade and economic relations, and facilitating closer people-to-people contacts, read the Foreign Office’s statement.

    FM Qureshi has arrived in Kabul for a day-long visit and is set to hold important talks with the Afghan leadership, a statement issued from the Foreign Office said.

    FM Qureshi is the third foreign minister after Qatar and Uzbekistan to visit since the Taliban took power after ousting Ashraf Ghani’s regime.

  • Pakistan summons Indian embassy official over targeting of Muslims

    Pakistan summons Indian embassy official over targeting of Muslims

    The Foreign Office (FO) summoned the Indian Charge d’ Affaires on Friday and conveyed the government’s concern over the recent target killing of Muslims in the Indian state of Assam.

    In the incident, two people were reported dead. It took place in the Sipajhar area of Assam’s Darrang district, where most of the residents are Muslims, reports Dawn.

    In the video, several cops can be seen beating a man with sticks even as he lay motionless on the ground. It went viral on Twitter after which Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi came under fire.

    Earlier, Pakistan’s federal minister Fawad Chaudhry condemned the incident, and said, “Today, Prime Minister Imran Khan will once again draw the attention of the United Nations to the atrocities taking place in India. #ModiFascism.”

  • India snatched Syed Ali Geelani’s body early morning ahead of his funeral

    India snatched Syed Ali Geelani’s body early morning ahead of his funeral

     Pakistan on Thursday condemned India’s act of snatching Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani’s body ahead of his funeral.

    According to Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Asim Iftikhar, “The Indian government is fearful of Syed Ali Geelani even after his demise.”

    “It is reflective of the rage, tyranny, and barbarianism of the Indian occupation forces,” he remarked.

    Iftikhar in a statement said that as the family was preparing for the last rites of Syed Geelani, a group of the occupation forces raided his residence in Srinagar, harassed family members, and snatched Syed Geelani’s body.

    “When the family members told the raiding party that Syed Geelani’s will was to be buried in the ‘Cemetery of Martyrs’ in Srinagar, they were reportedly told that India would not allow Syed Geelani’s burial at the place of his choosing,” he said.

    “India has been violating all civil and human rights norms in the occupied valley,” maintained Iftikhar.

    Indian media subsequently reported the burial of the Hurriyat leader. A curfew has been imposed in the valley and all internet services have been suspended.

    Syed Ali Geelani’s son told AP that the family had planned the burial at the main Martyrs’ Graveyard in Srinagar as per his will but were disallowed by the police.

    “They snatched his body and forcibly buried him. Nobody from the family was present for his burial. We tried to resist but they overpowered us and even scuffled with women,” said his son Naseem Geelani.

    Geelani was the former head of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) but quit politics last year in June. Geelani passed away at his home in Srinagar after a prolonged illness.

  • Pakistan and US believe that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan

    Pakistan and US believe that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan

    Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, during his weekly press briefing, clarified that Pakistan considers the United States (US) a friend and wants broad-based relations to achieve the shared objective of peace and prosperity in the region and beyond.

    Answering the questions on the surging situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s relations with the US, Zahid said, “Pakistan and the US have a history of close cooperative relations. This cooperative relationship has served the interests of both the countries.”

    “We both believe that there’s no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan and we both want to see peace in Afghanistan,” added Zahid.

    He reiterated the fact that both Pakistan and the US support an inclusive, broad-based, and comprehensive political settlement in Afghanistan through a process that is owned and led by the Afghans themselves.

    The statement by the Foreign Office comes a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan issued a hard-hitting statement, saying that Washington sees Pakistan only useful in cleaning up the “mess” in Afghanistan.

    “Pakistan is considered only to be useful in the context of somehow settling this mess which has been left behind after 20 years of trying to find a military solution when there was none,” said PM Khan.

    PM Khan also clarified speculations that he was not “waiting” for a phone call from US President Joe Biden.

    “I keep hearing that President Biden hasn’t called me. Well, it’s his option. If he wants to call or not it’s his business. If he thinks it’s necessary or not. Not that I am waiting for any phone call,” said the premier.

  • Pakistani exiles in UK not on ‘hit list’, Pakistan rejects Guardian report

    Pakistani exiles in UK not on ‘hit list’, Pakistan rejects Guardian report

    Pakistan on Tuesday “categorically rejected” a report published in The Guardian, which alleges that Pakistan was cracking down on dissidents abroad, adding that such accusations were baseless.

    Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said that the unsubstantiated allegations appeared to be part of the rather “blatant on-going misinformation campaign” against Pakistan to malign the country and its state institutions.

    “Pakistan is a parliamentary democracy with a vibrant civil society, free media, and independent judiciary, which remains fully committed to the promotion and protection of human rights for all its citizens without discrimination,” said the FO spokesperson. “Our strong commitment to the right to freedom of opinion and expression is demonstrated by the presence of scores of vibrant media channels and newspapers in the country.”

    Chaudhri said it was regrettable that any news outlet provided a “platform for the peddling of unsubstantiated and false narratives against Pakistan”.

    British security sources are understood to be concerned that Pakistan might be prepared to target individuals on British soil, said a report published in The Guardian.

    According to the report, there are further warnings given by other intelligence services across Europe to Pakistani dissidents, including rights activists from Balochistan, journalists, and members of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM).

    “If there is illegal pressure, in particular on journalists in the UK, then I would expect the law enforcement agencies and the British government to take notice of that and to make an appropriate legal and/or diplomatic response,” said Mark Lyall Grant, former UK High Commissioner to Pakistan.

  • FO condemns ‘malicious smear campaign against Pakistan’ by former Canadian minister

    FO condemns ‘malicious smear campaign against Pakistan’ by former Canadian minister

    The Foreign Office (FO) strongly objected to the remarks made by a former Canadian minister, saying his comments betrayed a lack of understanding of the Afghan peace process as well as showed ignorance about facts on the ground.

    In a series of tweets, the Foreign Office addressed the matter and said, “We strongly condemn the unwarranted comments by former Canadian minister Chris Alexander, making unfounded & misleading assertions about…Pakistan’s role in #AfghanPeaceProcess.”

    Chris Alexander, former Canadian minister posted on Twitter, “Taliban fighters waiting to cross the border from Pakistan to Afghanistan… anyone still denying that Pakistan is engaged in an ‘act of aggression’ against Afghanistan is complicit in proxy war & war crimes.”

    The FO also reiterated Pakistan’s policy on Afghanistan and said that international powers had begun to appreciate what Prime Minister Imran Khan had been saying for a long time. “Now when the world has acknowledged what…Pakistan & PM @ImranKhanPTI has consistently maintained abt there being no military solution to the conflict in #Afghanistan & the need for an inclusive, broad-based & comprehensive political settlement, such gratuitous commentary is deplorable,” it added.

    The FO further said that Pakistan had taken up the matter with the government of Canada. “The matter has been taken up with the Canadian side. We have urged the Canadian authorities to take steps to address this motivated and malicious smear campaign.”

  • ‘The world has seen true face of so-called Indian democracy,’ Pakistan demands answers

    ‘The world has seen true face of so-called Indian democracy,’ Pakistan demands answers

    In a statement released by the Foreign Office regarding India’s use of Israeli spyware, Pegasus, to hack Prime Minister Imran Khan’s phone, Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez stated, “We call on the relevant UN bodies to thoroughly investigate the matter, bring the facts to light, and hold the Indian perpetrators to account.”

    The statement further said, “We condemn in strongest possible terms India’s state-sponsored, continuing and widespread surveillance and spying operations in clear breach of global norms of responsible state behaviour.”

    “Keeping a clandestine tab on dissenting voices is a long-standing textbook ploy of the RSS-BJP regime to commit human rights atrocities in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and peddle disinformation against Pakistan,” read the statement.

    “The world has seen the true face of the so-called Indian ‘democracy’. We are closely following these revelations and will bring the Indian abuses to the attention of appropriate global platforms.”

    The recent revelations by Pegasus Project show that the Indian government had targeted Prime Minister Imran Khan’s phone for surveillance in 2019. Analysis of the more than 1,000 mostly Indian phone numbers selected for potential targeting by using Pegasus spyware strongly indicates intelligence agencies within the Indian government were behind the selection.

  • Shah Mahmood says Dasu incident ‘accident’, Fawad Chaudhry says ‘terrorism can’t be ruled out’

    Shah Mahmood says Dasu incident ‘accident’, Fawad Chaudhry says ‘terrorism can’t be ruled out’

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi that the initial investigation into the bus tragedy near Dasu hydropower project in the Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was not a consequence of a terrorist attack, according to a statement on China’s foreign ministry website reports Dawn.

    Nine Chinese nationals and three Pakistanis lost their lives on Wednesday in a blast that took place on the bus that was taking them to their workplace. They were going there for an ongoing project, as per a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). 

    “The Chinese side is shocked by the serious Chinese casualties in Pakistan, hoping that the Pakistani side could quickly find out its cause, conduct rescue and treatment work at all costs, deal with the aftermath in time, and prevent similar incidents from happening again,” read the statement.

    “If it is a terrorist attack, the criminals must be immediately arrested and severely punished,” said the Chinese ministry.

    Qureshi, on behalf of the government and the people of Pakistan, expressed sincere condolences to the Chinese side over the heavy Chinese casualties. He said that the preliminary investigation shows that the incident was “an accident and no background of terrorist attacks has been found.”

    However, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry took to Twitter and said, “Initial investigations into Dassu incident have now confirmed traces of explosives, terrorism cannot be ruled out,” contradicting the statement by his party’s Foreign Minister.

    “Prime Minister Imran Khan is personally supervising all developments, in this regard Govt is in close coordination with the Chinese embassy we are committed to fighting the menace of terrorism together,” read the tweet.

  • VIDEO: US President Joe Biden stumbles twice while boarding Air Force One

    President of the United States of America Joe Biden stumbled three times while climbing the stairs to board Air Force One. The video of him losing his footing is being widely shared on social media.

    Boarding a flight to Atlanta, where he was to speak to the Asian-American community about a shooting there earlier this week, Biden stumbled slightly about halfway up the 25 or so stairs, recovered, then stumbled again and briefly went down on one knee, according to video footage.

    The president appeared to rub his left knee before getting back up, then completed the stairs at a slower pace. He stopped at the top of the stairs, turned around and offered a crisp salute.

    Following the incident, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told White House reporters that the president was “doing fine” after the fall.

    “It was very windy. I almost fell coming up the steps myself. He is doing 100 percent,” she told reporters.

    “He’s doing fine. He’s preparing for the trip just fine,” she added.

    Biden’s stumbling has raised concerns about the 78-year-old President’s health, was the oldest person ever to assume the presidency. In late November, Biden suffered a hairline fracture in his right foot while playing with one of his dogs.

    In November 2020, Biden won an extremely close US election battle against former president Donald Trump. He was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States in January 2021.

  • Pakistan reacts to Indian claims of taking Kartarpur Gurdwara’s management away from Sikh body

    Pakistan reacts to Indian claims of taking Kartarpur Gurdwara’s management away from Sikh body

    Pakistan has firmly rejected the “baseless and fallacious” claims made by the Indian government against the Kartarpur Corridor, and the same have also been rejected by the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC).

    In a statement, Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri has said that the malicious propaganda by the Indian government is simply an attempt to malign the peace corridor initiative.

    “The malicious propaganda by the Indian government is simply an attempt to malign the peace corridor initiative by casting mischievous aspersions against the interests of the Sikh community and to detract attention from the reprehensible violation of human rights of minorities in India,” he said.

    The FO said that it was no more than an Indian attempt to cast damaging accusations against the interests of the Sikh community and to detract attention from India’s own reprehensible human rights violations of minorities in India.

    Chaudri added that the PSGPC is responsible for carrying out rituals in Gurdwara Sahiban, including Kartarpur, as per Sikh Rehat Maryada.

    “Any insinuations regarding ‘transferring’ the affairs of Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib from the PSGPC to the Project Management Unit (PMU) are not only contrary to the facts but are also aimed at creating religious disharmony by the Hindutva-driven government in India,” the FO spokesperson said.

    “The PMU, under the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), has simply been created to facilitate the committee in this regard,” he added.

    Chaudhri said that the Sikh community from all over the world remains greatly appreciative of the efforts made by Pakistan to complete the Kartarpur Corridor project in record time and for the excellent arrangements made to facilitate the pilgrims.

    “India would be well advised to take steps to protect its minorities and their places of worship, rather than feigning misleading and sham concerns for the rights of minorities elsewhere,” he said.

    INDIAN CLAIMS:

    India had on Thursday “highly condemned” Pakistan’s then alleged decision to transfer the management of the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara from PSGPC to a separate trust, saying the move ran against the religious sentiments of the Sikh community.

    The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said India received representations from the Sikh community expressing grave concern over the decision to transfer the management and maintenance of the gurudwara from the PSGPC to the administrative control of the ETPB.

    KARTARPUR SAHIB:

    Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara is located in Pakistan’s Narowal district across Ravi, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine.

    In November last year, the two countries threw open a corridor linking Dera Baba Sahib in Gurdaspur in India with Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan, in a historic people-to-people initiative.

    The move was lauded by members of the Sikh community from all across the globe.