Adviser to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Monday underscored that Pakistan will not hold dialogue with India on its terms, adding that there could be no dialogue without the water issue and Kashmir as topics for discussion.
Speaking to reporters after an inauguration of the 10th meeting of heads of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries, Aziz said that even if cordial terms are not possible with India, Pakistan wants to maintain tension-free relations with the neighbouring country.
Sartaj reiterated that Pakistan will take up India’s anti-Pakistan statements with the United Nations’ Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. He said that Pakistan will also raise these issues on the platform of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting being held in Jeddah.
Last week, the Senate passed a unanimous resolution strongly condemning recent provocative statements made by the top Indian leadership, including the threat of attacks on Pakistani territory.
The resolution had said that the House emphasises that Pakistan would never allow its territory to be violated by India under any pretext, and that Pakistan’s armed forces are capable of issuing a befitting response to any such incursion.
The Upper House of Parliament had urged the international community to take notice of India’s provocative statements, which did not bode well for regional peace and affected prospects of sovereignty and stability.
PAKISTAN TO RESPOND BEFITTINGLY:
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday said if forced into war by India, Pakistan will respond in a befitting manner, adding that “our arms are not meant for decoration”.
“If need be, we will use them [arms] against India,” Asif told a book-launch ceremony in Islamabad.
“By issuing provocative statements, Indian politicians want to distract Pakistan’s attention from the war on terror,” he said, adding that India had been “promoting terrorism in Pakistan”.
The defence minister said Prime Minister Sharif had placed the recent “threatening statements” from India before United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a recent meeting between the two in Dushanbe.
He also criticised local media for not highlighting the brutalities inflicted by the Indian army on residents of occupied Kashmir. “There seems to be no charm for television channels in highlighting the Kashmir issue,” he said, adding that media should promote Pakistan’s national and foreign policy objectives.
Talking on US foreign policy, the minister said America had miserably failed in Iraq and Afghanistan. “This is, in fact, a failure of their foreign policy,” he said referring to American interventions in the two countries.
“Unfortunately, Pakistan jumped into America’s war against the Soviets and is now facing the consequences of that decision in the shape of widespread terrorism.”
Khawaja Asif was of the view that American foreign policy is closely linked to their national interests, adding that Pakistan ought to mirror the United States in this regard.
The minister also lauded the government’s decision to not get involved in the Saudi-led offensive in Yemen. “Our decision not to be a part of the war in Yemen was a wise one. But in case Saudi Arabia’s security is threatened in the future, Pakistan will move to protect the kingdom.”