The Foreign Office dropped a clear hint on Thursday about Pakistan’s disagreement with the United States over its policy to link future US aid to any country with the protection of gay rights. A reporter drew the attention of Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit here at his weekly press briefing to a statement at the recent UN Human Rights Council meeting by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in which she said gay rights were human rights and in future US aid would be linked with ensuring them. Basit was told that the UN reported that representatives of about 47 missions were present there and nobody walked out and there was standing ovation for Clinton. He was asked if Pakistan’s policy had changed on the issue and if he thought gay rights were human rights? “This issue has been coming up at different international forums.
Recently, I remember at the Perth Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, a delegation did propose some language on gay rights for the Perth communiqué, and I remember several countries including Pakistan did not support the language for inclusion in the Perth document,” said Abdul Basit. “We are of the view that these are sensitive issues and sometimes they directly clash with peoples’ and counties’ cultural and religious ethos,” he said further.