ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif will leave for China on an important official visit on September 8 to discuss the United States’ new policy for South Asia and Afghanistan. Afterwards, the FM will leave for Turkey, Iran and Russia.
According to details, the Pakistani delegation will also visit Russia, Iran and Turkey to consolidate its foreign policy and ties with the allies in order to give a befitting response to the US administration. Besides that, Central Asian republics will also be taken into confidence to develop regional strategies.
The official visits to these states have been finalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It should be recalled that China and Russia both had come forward in support of Pakistan after President Trump’s accusations in August, lamenting Pakistan for providing ‘safe havens’ to terrorists.
According to sources at Foreign Office (FO), Islamabad is not in favour of worsening its relations with the US. The FO said that the armed forces will continue their role in the war against terrorism and added that the Afghan issue will be sorted out with the help of dialogue with regional forces, for which it is important for these forces to play their role in the achievement of peace.
It was further mentioned that Pakistan wiped out terrorism from its soil and took steps to achieve peace with neighbouring Afghanistan. “It would have been better if the US had admitted its defeat in Afghanistan,” the source added.
China’s top diplomat had defended Pakistan’s “important role” in Afghanistan in a phone call with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, while Russian Presidential Envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov lambasted Trump’s Pakistan strategy and insisted that Islamabad is “a key regional player to negotiate with.”
A joint session of the National Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution denouncing the US president’s allegations. “American president and secretary of state’s statements are threatening and we reject America’s new Afghan policy,” the summary of the resolution read.
