Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria on Thursday said that Pakistan has a longstanding relationship with America and is looking forward to work with the new US administration.
The spokesman said this during a weekly news briefing in Islamabad.
He said, “Pakistan and US have strategic dialogue mechanism covering diverse areas including economic, security, defence, education, scientific research and cooperation in other areas.”
He hoped that relations between the two countries will be strengthened further in the coming years.
To a question regarding US President Donald Trump’s statement about terrorism, Zakaria said, “Terrorism has no religion, caste, creed or colour. It is a global phenomenon and global cooperation is required to deal with this menace.”
“Kashmir is a core issue between Pakistan and India which is a matter of concern to the world community,” he added.
He said, “We have always welcomed anyone who wants to play a role in mediation to resolve the dispute over Kashmir and other issues between Pakistan and India.”
Answering a question, he emphasised that politically negotiated settlement is the more viable solution for Afghanistan. He said no result has come out of fifteen years military action in Afghanistan.
He said, “Blame game is not in the interest of anyone. He said all parties should engage each other in talks.”
He said that Pakistan has played its role for peace and stability in Afghanistan and will continue to do so. He said pursuing peace should be through Afghan-led and Afghan-owned initiatives.
The spokesman said, “Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has instructed that Afghan refugees would not be repatriated forcefully, and their return will be voluntary in a dignified manner.”
He said, “The government has evolved a plan for their smooth repatriation.”
“Date for the voluntary return of Afghan refugees has been extended to 31st December of this year,” he added.
“Currently, the situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir is getting worse. The killing, arbitrary arrests and fake encounters of Kashmiris continue and their fundamental rights are being denied constantly,” Zakaria said.
He said that the international community must act to hold India accountable for their crimes against humanity.
